{"id":23204,"date":"2026-07-21T11:32:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T09:32:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/?p=23204"},"modified":"2026-07-21T11:32:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T09:32:03","slug":"nexaira-fit-retrofit-for-the-hospital-kitchen-diakonie-klinikum-stuttgart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/industries\/refrigeration-ventilation\/nexaira-fit-retrofit-for-the-hospital-kitchen-diakonie-klinikum-stuttgart_23204\/","title":{"rendered":"Today\u2019s menu: a retrofit for the hospital kitchen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The cafe\u00adteria at the Diakonie-Klinikum Stuttgart is a place for everyone: patients can dine with their loved ones, visi\u00adtors can grab a coffee and staff can take a short break from their daily hospital routine. In the kitchen behind the cafe\u00adteria, fresh meals are prepared daily\u2014for many people and a wide range of needs. For the cooks, this daily routine can some\u00adtimes be stressful, espe\u00adcially when the venti\u00adlation system fails\u2014which is exactly what happened in the spring of 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

approx. 2<\/strong>-year payback<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

approx. -40 % <\/strong>energy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cooking gener\u00adates heat, mois\u00adture, odors and greasy exhaust air. All of this must be safely vented while simul\u00adta\u00adne\u00adously allowing an inflow of fresh air. So when the roughly 25-year-old belt-driven fans in one of the kitchen\u2019s four venti\u00adlation systems were no longer able to cope with the load, the system failed. The situ\u00ada\u00adtion rapidly became critical\u2014for working condi\u00adtions, hygiene and food service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Diakonie-Klinikum Stuttgart employs approx\u00adi\u00admately 1,750 staff members and treats about 21,000 inpa\u00adtients and up to 90,000 outpa\u00adtients annu\u00adally.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was impor\u00adtant to us that the kitchen staff could quickly return to working under safe and reli\u00adable condi\u00adtions,\u201d says Klaus Uetrecht, tech\u00adnical director of the Diakonie-Klinikum Stuttgart. Accord\u00adingly, ProAc\u00adtiveAir, a long-standing partner of the hospital, under\u00adtook a retrofit of the kitchen venti\u00adlation system, and turned to ebm-papst for the design of the new fan tech\u00adnology. Together, they iden\u00adti\u00adfied four systems for modern\u00adiza\u00adtion: one large supply-air system and three exhaust-air systems for the various kitchen areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

It was impor\u00adtant to us that the kitchen staff could quickly return to working under safe and reli\u00adable condi\u00adtions.<\/p>\nKlaus Uetrecht, Tech\u00adnical Director Diakonie-Klinikum Stuttgart<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

This also aligned with a broader goal of the hospital. The Diakonie-Klinikum Stuttgart\u2019s Green Team spans various profes\u00adsional groups\u2014from medi\u00adcine and nursing to engi\u00adneering and human resources\u2014and is committed to the hospital\u2019s sustain\u00adability goals. In the tech\u00adnical depart\u00adment, the primary focus is on reducing energy consump\u00adtion and CO\u2082 emis\u00adsions. Outdated venti\u00adlation systems are a key area for improve\u00adment here: They often don\u2019t operate according to actual needs, and thus they consume energy unnec\u00ades\u00adsarily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n