Innovative concepts for urban districts

Developing concepts for energy-saving buildings also requires re-thinking the approaches to planning urban districts and their energy supply systems. For many years now, our experts have therefore been particularly committed to planning district energy supplies, placing the main focus on the optimum interaction of heat generation and the reduction of heat losses. In this context, the integration of regenerative energy supply systems plays a key role, as well as central heat supply utilities and local heating networks (including storage solutions).

For these purposes, it is not necessary to specify any planning schemes or legally binding land-use plans. Rather, these concepts will focus on how apartments can receive more sunlight (i.e. how to increase the daily sun exposure times of residential buildings) in order to improve the living quality while reducing the energy consumption. Moreover, solar gains will be substantially increased, whereas specific heat losses and the specific need for primary heating energy per unit living area will be considerably reduced. In Germany, many residential areas/ districts enhancing the use of solar energy and featuring climate protection are already existing; these estates prove that intelligent planning and design can successfully pave the way to realize sustainable options for climate protection in residential development.