Energy-efficiency refurbishment and species conservation

The project aims to develop technically feasible model solutions ready for series production for integrating species protection measures in modern thermal composite systems. This first requires the integration of technical implementation demands and methodological recommendations for species protection-compatible energy-efficient building refurbishment. Based on this, practical information materials will be developed for energy consultants, architects, town planners, engineers and tradesmen as well as for those involved in environment and species conservation in order to accord the legal aspects of species protection more importance in the guidance, planning and execution of refurbishment measures.

Methods

Existing technical solutions and published results on the acceptance behaviour of species living in buildings need to be reviewed and analysed. Next, the collated findings will be assessed in expert workshops in terms of their relevance for practical species conservation. An interim result will be the identification of approaches that are useful from an ecological viewpoint.

These approaches will then be tested for their technical feasibility and for the possibility of certification. An expert assessment report will describe the details of the technical implementation and present these for discussion at an event for experts with stakeholders from the construction and refurbishment sector. The collated findings will be included in the form of model solutions in a handbook on the conservation of species in buildings and thermal insulation. An assessment of the existing certification systems will be made at the same time. At this point in the project, technical discussions should be held with certification providers and manufacturers of external thermal insulation composite systems.

An accompanying project module deals with the identification of approaches to integrate species protection-compliant system solutions in existing funding programmes in order to achieve environmentally compatible refurbishment in the medium-term.
A further analysis of the literature and expert questionnaire needs to be carried out to determine potential conflicts of photovoltaic systems with species living in buildings.

Publications and communication

The results of the project will be communicated to a wide audience in various ways. During the project, interim results and information on events will be regularly published on the project website. The planned construction handbook "Gebäudeartenschutz & Wärmedämmung" (conservation of species in buildings & thermal insulation) documents the technical model solutions for the conservation of species in buildings from a practical angle and gives priority to supporting tradesmen and architects with the actual implementation.

Additional information brochures meeting the needs of target groups are aimed directly at nature conservation and trade associations with their varying information needs. A range of (best practice) examples and background information on environment and species protection will be developed for this including the reciprocal requirements of energy law and construction planning and execution on the one hand and species protection law and the the ecology of relevant animal species on the other.

In addition to this, two discussion papers will be compiled: first a discussion paper with further recommendations for action to include species protection measures in appropriate support programmes and, second, a conflict analysis on "photovoltaic and species protection in buildings" that will be summarised in a concluding paper.
The results will be presented in 2021 as part of a two-day closing conference.