The municipality of Radstadt near Salzburg in Austria wanted to elevate the living standard of a newly developed urban area by introducing a new traffic concept and renewal of the common green areas. The SIR (The SIR (Salzburger Institut für Raumordnung und Wohnen) developed a total concept for the area, which included this sustainable housing demonstration project. GSWB Housing Association is the builder of the 36 solar low-energy dwellings, which aims to minimise the total energy consumption for both construction and operation of the buildings. This objective is achieved through exact calculation of the life cycle costs of the construction, as well as an analysis of the environmental impact. Consequently several innovative technologies are implemented in the buildings. The domestic hot water is solar heated, rainwater is collected and reused and the air ventilation works with heat recovery. 

The completion of the 36 solar low-energy dwellings in 1998 provides the residential area with a new identity, which can contribute to an improved quality of life for the local inhabitants. The attraction is environmentally sound dwellings based on ecological materials and minimised energy consumption for the buildings' total life cycle. 

The Austrian Radstadt project is based on economic and ecological life cycle analysis, which has resulted in an optimal combination of construction, materials, and heating system. This combination enables housing with low environmental impact and promotes the use of renewable resources without compromising the comfort of living or rentals. As depicted in the figure below, the energy demand was lowered considerably in comparison to other, more conventional dwellings in the area. The energy reduction scheme is based on minimising transmission losses and the implementing of a central heating system supplemented by solar energy. Transmission losses were reduced through comprehensive insulation of walls, roofs, and windows, as well as energy optimised design of the building.

Two salient elements of the construction should be highlighted:

• The initial lifecycle analysis of the economics and the environmental impacts, which ensured a holistic approach and a coherent solution
• The connection to the integrated biomass heating system with heat recovery

More information on this project at: http://www.gswb.at/sobauenwir6.html.

 

Contact Person	SIR - Salzburger Institut für Raumordnung und Wohnen Alpenstraße 47 A-5020 Salzburg www.sir.at
Local Authority	Stadtgemeinde Radstadt,  A-5550 Radstadt  www.radstadt.at
Architects	Arch. Dipl.Ing. Hanns Peter Köck Brandstättengasse 1 A-5760 Saalfelden
Builder	GSWB – Gemeinnützige Salzburger Wohnbaugesellschaft m.b.H. Ignaz Harrerstraße 84  A-5020 Salzburg www.gswb.at
Technical consultants	Energy: TAP Technische Anlagen Planung gmbh Seegasse 2 A-5700 Zell am See www.t-a-p.at Static: Wilhelm Spirk Fürbergstraße 2a A-5020 Salzburg