Integrated refurbishment planning for sustainable office buildings Available to Purchase

Europe's cities are full of office buildings which are technically and visually outdated. Research has demonstrated that more than 60% of German office stock is in acute need for refurbishment. Building planning needs intelligent approaches to façade refurbishment in order to tackle this enormous market. This article presents the head office building of Sparkasse Vorderpfalz in Ludwigshafen, Germany as a typical example of 1970s architecture with corresponding refurbishment tasks. It has been refurbished by following an integral planning approach. Façade technology and building services installations have been treated as co-dependent features looking for the best synergetic effects. The entire refurbishment took place while the building was in use: ‘Please do not stain the carpet!' was the motto stated by the client. With this approach, the Sparkasse Vorderpfalz Building has won the 2010 ‘Re-Skinning Award' in the category ‘large commercial'. The refurbished building has not only proven to be economically feasible, but its ecological and social sustainability has also been evaluated by Delft University of Technology. The experiences have the potential to inspire many more buildings to be refurbished and upvalued.