The guiding principle of sustainable construction is the recognition that economics, ecology and society are interlocking systems. A sustainable building is characterised by a high ecological, economic and socio-cultural quality. This offers an added value for the environment and for society. With regard to energy consumption and CO2 emissions, the building sector, with a percentage of 40% across the EU is substantially ahead of transport and industry. The use of new technologies in building construction thus has huge savings potential. Energy-efficient buildings constitute a fundamental supplement to the renewable energy carriers when it involves an expedient climate strategy.
Sustainable construction has many facets and needs special planning, the right materials and a professional implementation. In the area of building technologies, Austria has developed into one of the leading countries over the last 20 years. The range extends from highly modern windows and doors to ventilation systems suitable for passive houses and automatic biomass heating and solar systems. And of course the Austrian expertise also includes the building certification. In Austria, customers from all over the world will find experts for
- Planning and consulting services
- Construction materials
- Building technologies
- Renewable energies
- Research and development
However, Austrian companies are not just successful in the new design of sustainable buildings. Increasingly frequently, energy efficiency is increased in existing buildings through conversion and refurbishment measures, making it possible to substantially reduce operating costs.
Flagship projects - exemplary at international level
Austrian providers hold leading positions in all areas of Green Building. This is shown in many a demonstration project, for instance in the LISI House. It is the first Austrian contribution to the Solar Decathlon competition, the most important competition in the area of solar and sustainable building. The LISI House combines modular lightweight construction, ecological materials and renewable energy in affordable residential construction. LISI generates enough energy to meet the daily requirements of the inhabitants.
Or the Plus-Energie high-rise office building at the TU Campus on "Getreidemarkt": It is the world's first high-rise office building that feeds more energy into the electricity grid than is required to run the building.
And then the high-rise wooden house "HoHo Vienna" with a wood percentage of around 75% from the ground floor upwards. With it, the planners are sending out a signal for resource-friendly and sustainable construction and making a contribution to climate protection. For a cubic metre of wood used in construction alleviates the burden on the atmosphere by one to two tonnes of CO2.
These unique Austrian projects correspond in all parts to the highest architectural standards and exceed the climate targets of the EU. Many Austrian experts who know each other through demonstration projects join forces at international level in order to improve the interfaces between planning and implementation and to stimulate further innovations. In this way, for instance, the first passive houses were implemented in Canada and Indonesia. For the topic of energy efficiency is growing strongly in importance worldwide. For the future, this means further growing international interest in Austrian developments.
Top Austrian companies and key industry trends in energy efficiency and greenbuilding can be found in the FRESH VIEW Magazine - #GreenTech Austria