The hospital in Bruck is one of three sites belonging to LKH Hochsteiermark state hospital. It is operated by Steiermärkische Krankenanstaltengesellschaft (KAGes), one of Austria’s largest health care providers with a portfolio of 18 state hospitals and a workforce of over 17,000. In recent years, several of its facilities had faced increasing repairs to the old ventilation systems. Instead of just opting for short-term fixes, the organization decided on a more long-term solution. Air conditioning specialist Fischer Luft- und Klimatechnik developed a standardized retrofit package covering all steps from detailed planning to the replacement of the outdated technology and long-term support.
Fischer brought ebm-papst on board as a technical partner. Working together with retrofit expert Jürgen Pichler, many of the KAGes sites have already been successfully upgraded with modern systems that are more efficient, quieter, and more reliable than their predecessors. The modernization program made such an impression that word quickly spread within the organization, triggering a major wave of upgrades. In 2021 the time came to upgrade the state hospital in Bruck. Christoph Gassner, Technical Operations Manager at the Bruck/Mur and Mürzzuschlag sites, supervised the implementation work.
Christoph Gassner
Technical Operations Manager
LKH Bruck/Mur and Mürzzuschlag
Christoph Gassner
Technical Operations Manager
LKH Bruck/Mur and Mürzzuschlag
Mario Klapsch
Service Manager
Fischer Luft- und Klimatechnik
Mario Klapsch
Service Manager
Fischer Luft- und Klimatechnik
Jürgen Pichler
Head of Retrofit
ebm-papst Austria
Jürgen Pichler
Jürgen Pichler heads up the Retrofit division at ebm-papst Austria. Together with his team, he is responsible for technical design and supports projects such as the one at LKH Bruck in close cooperation with partner companies.
Head of Retrofit
ebm-papst Austria
Technology that was over 30 years old
The AC fans had been in operation since 1994, meaning they consumed a lot of power and could not be controlled in line with actual demand. Moreover, the filters had to be replaced frequently. For a modern hospital with sensitive operating rooms and strict hygiene regulations, a new ventilation system was long overdue.
“The retrofit was an opportunity to focus on our technology”
Christoph Gassner explains the significance of the retrofit for the hospital.
Technically perfectly matched
ebm-papst’s main task in this project was to come up with the technical design for the fans. For the Bruck project, Pichler and his team calculated which models were the ideal match for each system and sent the results over to Fischer Luft- und Klimatechnik, who took care of the installation work.
The scope of the retrofit
Since 2021, a total of 45 ventilation systems have been replaced at LKH Bruck – the last upgrade took place in October 2025. In each of the 45 systems, a RadiPac fan from ebm-papst now ensures efficient operation. The project team also replaced heating pumps and control cabinets. In future, a web-based building management system will be used for centralized control and monitoring purposes.
“The operating room ventilation systems had to keep running”
Mario Klapsch on modernization during ongoing operations.
Efficient and reliable
Thanks to the EC technology, the new fans are much more efficient than their predecessors, and there are no energy losses from V-belts or variable frequency drives. This means more reliable and more flexible system operation.
“That should be done in ten minutes.”
Mario Klapsch explains how the retrofit will also ensure redundancy in the future.
A sustainable future
With the retrofit at the Bruck site, the state hospital has made its technical infrastructure fit for the future. The modern EC ventilation technology has improved reliability and is directly supporting patient care.
Part of a major modernization wave
Six hospitals have already been successfully modernized while others are also set to follow. As a result, the organization is systematically pushing ahead with its 2030 climate strategy, focusing on security of supply and easy-to-maintain technology.
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