The future in building construction and adaptation is green – this is an agreement by all industries involved. The shortage of resources and high cost of energy alone are speeding up the process of change. Forward-looking project developers know that the demand for Green Buildings is going to rise. However: “Fact is: Up until now, Green Buildings are the exception rather than the rule in Austria and Germany,” says Thomas Beyerle, Head of Global Research at Aberdeen Property Investors, who has conducted a study on this subject. But the potential for saving energy in buildings and meeting international climate goals is immense.

Energy Efficiency as the Ultimate Goal

The interest in Green Buildings has skyrocketed in the last few months, and the forward thinkers among project developers clearly see their responsibility for the future. This does not only relate to the costs of construction and operation, but “the entire life cycle of a property,” explains Manfred Völker, Director of Siemens Gebäudemanagement & Services GmbH: “The complete life cycle of a building is taken into consideration, from vision to planning, from architecture and operation right up until demolition. Additional aspects such as a building’s energy efficiency and environmental friendliness are also becoming increasingly important.” For many Austrian developers, Green Buildings are already a fact, and not just a subject for debate. Herbert Putz, project manager for SIGNA Development’s office project RIVERGATE: “With all projects that I manage, I place special emphasis on the Green Building concept and also promote it among my clients.” As an example, the RIVERGATE project: “By using the natural resources of geothermal energy and ground water, we can achieve sustainable savings of approximately 35 percent in primary energy costs and reduce CO2 emissions by 280 tonnes per year,” says Putz. But there is much more thought put into this office project: For all those who (despite the optimal connection to the public transport network) commute by bicycle, there are change rooms and showers. This also makes it “green”, which in the near future will be a competitive advantage that is increasingly appreciated by investors and tenants. “The demand for sustainability is high from both the users and the investors, and the trend is increasing,” explains Andreas Köttl, CEO of IC Projektentwicklung GmbH: “This means the demand for non-sustainable buildings is sinking, and their profitability decreases. Therefore, in reality, we cannot afford not to build sustainably anymore.”

Austria as Pioneer in Green Buildings

Buildings that are unique worldwide were and are being erected in Austria. One of the most fascinating projects is the “LifeCycle Tower” by Vorarlberg based company Rhomberg. An inter-disciplinary research team has made it their goal to implement the development of an energy-efficient wood-based high-rise building up to 20 stories high while using the prefabricated construction method. Michael Zangerl, the company’s person in charge of the LifeCycle Tower: “All structural-physical aspects have been explored. We will likely build the first prototype in Vorarlberg in the first half of 2010.” In principle, the first phase is about testing the concept and “seeing how our system works with three to four stories. From there, we will go upwards.” The current record for a wood-based multi-storey building is held by a nine-storey building in London, but for Zangerl, “it is not about setting a world record, but implementing a new field of business, wood-based construction, and with this, the potential for replicating buildings.” The location for the tower has not been determined at this point; “there are a few interesting pieces of land in Austria where we could implement our project, but everything is still at the non-committal stage,” says Zangerl. What is particularly important to him is to “create attention worldwide for the concept of ecology, the technological possibilities and the things that can be done.” This has already been achieved with the ENERGYbase project. This office building with a gross floor space of 11,700 square metres, developed by the VBA, has an 80 percent lower energy cost than a conventional office building of the same size. Professor and diplomat Jianzhong Ye, in charge of the cooperation between Austria and China in the field of science and research, comments: “ENERGYbase is a role model for the future of energy-optimized construction. There is great interest from China’s side, since we have a lot of people in our country and require high-rise buildings. It is important that energy-optimized construction be possible for larger projects, too.” Ye has already visited ENERGYbase together with the president of the National People’s Congress, the second-most powerful man in the state of China. Ye: “It is also the responsibility of the government to promote and develop technologies.”

Standards for Green Buildings

With the emergence of Green Buildings, there also need to be standards in order to make them comparable. To get things moving for the future, the “Austrian Sustainable Real Estate Management Council” (ÖGNI - Österreichische Gesellschaft für Nachhaltige Immobilienentwicklung) was initiated by the head of the spatial and real estate economics department at the Vienna University of Technology, Professor Gunther Maier, and Philipp Kaufmann. ÖGNI president Kaufmann: “Our construction work is of a high quality, but this quality is not being perceived, and for users and investors, it is not distinguishable from lower-quality properties.” ÖGNI has signed a cooperation agreement with the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen). By doing so, they are attempting to implement the construction and real estate industry’s demand for a consistent European standard in the field of sustainable building. Interesting for the Austrian real estate market is the fact that the certification system, which was developed in Germany, is being adapted for the local building culture. With the DGNB, Kaufmann has not only recruited a strong partner, but also acted with foresight for the investment market – after all, not only do our neighbours have the strongest economy of the EU, they also are the largest group of investors in the Viennese market, besides Austrians. Kaufmann: “The strength of the certification system lies in its great flexibility; it cannot only be perfectly adapted to regional conditions, but also to future technological and societal developments. It is a new-generation rating system.”

Good Things Take Time

Market saturation with Green Buildings however will still take some time, since, “in relation to the total market and building activities, the numbers are currently closer to tenths of a percent rather than an actual percentage,” says research expert Beyerle: “In Germany alone, it will take approximately 15 years until there is a significant percentage of these type of buildings.” In the medium term, this will only change if transformations of existing buildings take place, upgrading them to certified Green Buildings. The situation in Austria is similar, and some developers are therefore already engaging in the “interesting and fascinating field of existing properties,” says Reinhard Schertler, Managing Director of S+B Gruppe AG. “Green Worx” is one of the first such projects. Created in the 1990’s as the UCI movie theatre, the Lasallestraße project fell victim to the strong competition during the entertainment centre boom. UCI Lasallestraße was closed and stood vacant ever since. In 2007, S+B Gruppe purchased the project and is now converting it into an energy-optimized project. Schertler: “For me, the revitalization of intra-urban properties such as these is a major topic for the future, since people don’t want to move to the periphery.” A great number of office buildings from the 70’s, 80’s and partially the 90’s are outdated with regard to energy management, and will likely be energy-optimized in the coming years. Friedrich Csörgits from AUCON Real Estate Group is already contemplating the next step: “We will bring a new product to the market. We are going to be the first to revitalize a turn-of-the-century building and transform it into a Green Building.” Whether it’s for new construction or older buildings, the trend is clear. Köttl: “I believe that there is a tendency to go from Green Buildings to Blue Buildings, which means that besides ecological aspects, economical and design aspects have to be considered as well.” [ WS ]