{"id":21942,"date":"2025-09-30T09:19:48","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T07:19:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/?p=21942"},"modified":"2025-09-30T10:37:21","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T08:37:21","slug":"energy-optimized-building-modernization-more-than-just-a-facade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/industries\/refrigeration-ventilation\/energy-optimized-building-modernization-more-than-just-a-facade_21942\/","title":{"rendered":"Energy-opti\u00admized building modern\u00adiza\u00adtion: More than just a facade"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Following the start of the economic boom in the late 1940s, construc\u00adtion activity across Europe surged. However, the huge demand for afford\u00adable housing meant the focus during this time was on building as rapidly as possible, with little consid\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion given to the energy balance. And this is now a problem. Since much of today\u2019s housing stock dates back to between the 1950s and 1970s, 75 percent of the build\u00adings in the Euro\u00adpean Union (EU) are not rated as energy effi\u00adcient. According to the EU Building Direc\u00adtive, this needs to change. By 2035, the average primary energy consump\u00adtion of existing resi\u00adden\u00adtial build\u00adings must be reduced by 22 percent. The ulti\u00admate goal is for all build\u00adings to be climate neutral by 2050. However, energy-related refur\u00adbish\u00adments are both costly and time-consuming, resulting in consid\u00ader\u00adable chal\u00adlenges for resi\u00addents during the construc\u00adtion phase. So what can be done to change this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The INFINITE project: system\u00adatic refur\u00adbish\u00adment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For the past five years, Fabrizio Miorin has been working hard on answers to this ques\u00adtion. Miorin is the head of research and devel\u00adop\u00adment at Vortice, an Italian manu\u00adfac\u00adturer of venti\u00adlation systems and a contrib\u00adutor to the EU-funded INFINITE project. \u201cTogether with 20 part\u00adners from eight coun\u00adtries, including manu\u00adfac\u00adturers of prefab\u00adri\u00adcated houses, construc\u00adtion compa\u00adnies and univer\u00adsi\u00adties, we are devel\u00adoping solu\u00adtions to improve the energy balance of houses by refur\u00adbishing their facades without any signif\u00adi\u00adcant inter\u00adven\u00adtion.\u201d The aim of the project is to reduce refur\u00adbish\u00adment costs by up to 50 percent, shorten construc\u00adtion time by 54 percent and extend the service life of the refur\u00adbished build\u00adings by an addi\u00adtional 50 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fabrizio Miorin and his team devel\u00adoped a venti\u00adlation unit that is so slim that it fits into a facade, uses minimum energy and is quiet. (Image | Vortice)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The idea is to use indus\u00adtri\u00adally prefab\u00adri\u00adcated facade elements made from sustain\u00adable mate\u00adrials that can be easily attached to the existing wall from outside. A special feature is the devel\u00adop\u00adment of modules that can be inte\u00adgrated into the facade elements using the plug and play prin\u00adciple, enabling them to perform other func\u00adtions in addi\u00adtion to insu\u00adla\u00adtion. These include, for example, solar cells to produce elec\u00adtricity, plants to green the facades, smart windows that darken auto\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcally in sunlight and even a venti\u00adlation, air condi\u00adtioning and heating system for the homes. This is exactly where Vortice can contribute its exper\u00adtise. The task of Miorin and his team of engi\u00adneers was to develop a venti\u00adlation system that is narrow enough to fit the facade elements, consumes little energy and, above all, oper\u00adates quietly. \u201cThe aim is that the venti\u00adlation system should not disturb resi\u00addents,\u201d says Miorin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How the Vortice solu\u00adtion works<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Exhaust air (from WC and kitchen)<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div><\/span><\/a>

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Supply air (to dwelling rooms)<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div><\/span><\/a>

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Fresh air (from external envi\u00adron\u00adment)<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div><\/span><\/a>

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Exhaust air (after having recov\u00adered its thermal energy)<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div><\/span><\/a>

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Return air (from living room and bedrooms to be recir\u00adcu\u00adlated)<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Elec\u00adtronic board that inter\u00adacts with room remote control<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div><\/span><\/a>

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Exhaust fan<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div><\/span><\/a>

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Heat recovery exchanger (connected to hydraulic heat pump circuit)<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div><\/span><\/a>

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Supply fan<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div><\/span><\/a>

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Elec\u00adtrical connec\u00adtion<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

(Image | Vortice)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inte\u00adgrated venti\u00adlation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Devel\u00adoping a stan\u00addard\u00adized solu\u00adtion that meets these require\u00adments is far from simple because every facade is a little different. Some build\u00adings have balconies whereas others do not. There may be differ\u00adences in the arrange\u00adment and size of the windows and also signif\u00adi\u00adcant vari\u00ada\u00adtions in the size of homes. \u201cWe analyzed the build\u00adings in Europe in detail. In Eastern Europe, homes tend to be smaller than in the West. We need a solu\u00adtion that works for all houses. That is why the thermal unit is dimen\u00adsioned for homes of 50 square meters. This gives us maximum flex\u00adi\u00adbility,\u201d explains Miorin. In the case of larger homes, addi\u00adtional facade elements are equipped with climate-control tech\u00adnology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In collab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtion with other project part\u00adners, \u00adMiorin and his team devel\u00adoped a concept that includes a heat pump to centrally produce heating or cooling for the entire building as required. The venti\u00adlation units supplied by Vortice distribute this to the indi\u00advidual apart\u00adments. However, they actu\u00adally do a lot more. \u201cWe extract the thermal energy from the exhaust air and return it to the apart\u00adments via a highly effi\u00adcient heat exchanger connected to the heat pump circuit. At the same time, we supply fresh air to all rooms,\u201d explains Miorin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two INFINITE pilot projects in Europe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The project in the town of Ravne na Koro\u0161kem in Slovenia is in
a multi-purpose building constructed in the 1970s. As part of the refur\u00adbish\u00adment, new apart\u00adments are to be added to the building. The Vortice units have been inte\u00adgrated directly into the facade. (Image | Vortice)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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In Greve (Chianti), near Florence in Italy, the facade elements are being tested on two build\u00adings from the 1970s. Here, the venti\u00adlation units supplied by Vortice are installed in the balcony balustrade elements. (Image | Vortice)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In this way, the system saves more energy. Miorin needed two fans to imple\u00adment this solu\u00adtion: One removes stale air from the rooms, while the other distrib\u00adutes fresh air and heat. When it came to choosing a manu\u00adfac\u00adturer, the engi\u00adneer did not have to think about it for too long: \u201cWe\u2019ve been working with ebm-papst for many years. Partic\u00adu\u00adlarly in projects like this, it\u2019s impor\u00adtant to have a proven expert to supply reli\u00adable and effi\u00adcient prod\u00aducts. And the collab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtion is also very good at the personal level.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quiet and effi\u00adcient RadiCal fans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Miorin\u2019s inquiry landed on the desk of Carlo Paroni, Team Leader Air Condi\u00adtioning & Venti\u00adlation at ebm-papst Italy. Decen\u00adtral\u00adized venti\u00adlation systems are nothing new for Paroni because ebm-papst has devel\u00adoped axial and centrifugal fans for precisely this kind of appli\u00adca\u00adtion. What was new to him, however, was the way in which the venti\u00adlation systems were to be used: \u201cThis is an exciting and inno\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive project that offers great poten\u00adtial for saving energy in existing building stock. It\u2019s a very good fit with our own corpo\u00adrate values.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2009\u201cVari\u00adable control of the fans means that our system can operate very precisely.\u201c Fabrizio Miorin, head of research and devel\u00adop\u00adment at Vortice<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Vortice chose two RadiCal fans for its system, which satisfy all the require\u00adments that were impor\u00adtant to Miorin: They are compact, energy-effi\u00adcient, vari\u00adable thanks to EC tech\u00adnology and extremely quiet, even at full power. Miorin explains: \u201cVari\u00adable control of the fans means that our system can operate very precisely and deliver the output that is actu\u00adally required.\u201d Of course, energy effi\u00adciency is essen\u00adtial in a project that is intended to cut costs and protect the climate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reality check<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Vortice\u2019s venti\u00adlation solu\u00adtion still has to prove itself under real condi\u00adtions on facades requiring refur\u00adbish\u00adment. To date, the facade elements have been tested in two pilot projects in Italy and Slovenia. The first analyses and find\u00adings are expected in 2026. If all goes well, it will soon be possible to install the prefab\u00adri\u00adcated facade elements in many other build\u00adings across Europe, thus enhancing effi\u00adciency and comfort. There are more than enough reasons to accel\u00aderate this process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At present, the average rate of energy-related refur\u00adbish\u00adment in the EU is only about one percent. Miorin is convinced that the solu\u00adtion deliv\u00adered by the INFINITE project can make an impor\u00adtant contri\u00adbu\u00adtion to climate protec\u00adtion. And he is already thinking about the next devel\u00adop\u00adment: \u201cI believe that decen\u00adtral\u00adized heat gener\u00ada\u00adtion is conceiv\u00adable in place of a central heat pump.\u201d\u2002<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At a glance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The company<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Vortice S.p.A., head\u00adquar\u00adtered in Trib\u00adiano near Milan, was founded in 1954 and manu\u00adfac\u00adtures energy-effi\u00adcient venti\u00adlation systems and heat recovery systems for indus\u00adtrial, commer\u00adcial, and domestic appli\u00adca\u00adtions. Today, the company is one of the global market leaders in this field and oper\u00adates in over 90 coun\u00adtries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The INFINITE project is an initia\u00adtive funded by the Euro\u00adpean Union as part of the Horizon 2020 research and inno\u00adva\u00adtion program. Its goal is to develop indus\u00adtri\u00adal\u00adized, inte\u00adgrated facade solu\u00adtions for the energy-effi\u00adcient reno\u00adva\u00adtion of build\u00adings, thereby contributing to the decar\u00adboniza\u00adtion of Europe\u2019s building stock.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Following the start of the economic boom in the late 1940s, construc\u00adtion activity across Europe surged. However, the huge demand for afford\u00adable housing meant the focus during this time was on building as rapidly as possible, with little consid\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion given to the energy balance. And this is now a problem. Since much of today\u2019s housing [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fans","category-refrigeration-ventilation"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21942"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22074,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21942\/revisions\/22074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}