SONTE: Sondierung Smarte Modernisierung Terrassenhaussiedlung

The present study proposes and evaluates different thermal rehabilitation scenarios for a housing estate Terrassenhaussiedlung Graz - a late Modernist housing estate in Graz, Austria, and a rare example of Brutalism and Structuralism in this country. These scenarios were developed as part of a larger research project in a participatory process with the involvement
of the inhabitants of the estate.
Striving for an appropriate refurbishment strategy that lowers the energy demand significantly, respects the cultural significance of the building and allows a gradual rehabilitation of the estate at the same time, three potential thermal rehabilitation scenarios are being proposed and further investigated:
Interior insulation, exterior insulation and the replacement of non-structural elements. These strategies are evaluated and discussed in terms of their impact on energy efficiency, building physics, architectural appearance and their practicability. Special attention was given to the many thermal bridges
caused by the exposed concrete structure of the estate, moreover the potential for building-integrated energy production was investigated.
Results were derived by different simulation methods, including small scale hygrothermal simulations and large scale dynamic thermal simulations.