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The Hettich Forum – an exemplary building
Construction, energy efficiency and environmental impact
The Hettich Forum reflects the high priority that Hettich assigns to improving energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact. The holistic approach covered issues such as power consumption, materials and space consumption. As an energy efficient building it is a model of what can be achieved in the way of sustainable buildings.
In Germany, buildings are responsible for over one third of resource consumption, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions. For this reason, low environmental impact and cost-effectiveness were an important focus in planning for the Hettich Forum. The aim was to ensure that the building’s resource consumption and operating costs would be low over its whole life cycle.
Insulation
The building envelope is extremely well-insulated, including under the foundations and the outer walls. The insulation layer, up to 40 cm thick, is mainly environmentally-compatible cellulose material. The total amount used is equivalent to 120,000 daily newspapers in the form of recycled paper ground to flakes. The window glazing meets the rigorous standards for passive houses with their very low energy consumption.
Heating
The heating system allows individual settings for each area to be heated, ensuring that heat is only supplied when the spaces are in use. The Hettich Forum is linked up to the company’s own efficient district heating system which uses off-heat from production and a combined heat and power system. The actual annual energy requirement of 30 kWh/sqm is 80% below the specific requirement set out in German energy-saving legislation (EnEv). The resulting saving of 226.618 kWh per year is equivalent to the annual consumption of 21 detached homes.
Ventilation
The building has a mechanical ventilation system combined with a high-efficiency heat recovery system. Ventilation units control the supply of filtered fresh air, the space heating and the recovery of heat from the extracted air. Offices are ventilated on a constant volume basis during working hours, but conference rooms are fitted with volume flow controls so that they are only ventilated when in use. The ventilation system is under the overall control of the automated building management system.
Lighting
All the lighting in the Hettich Forum uses energy-saving luminaires with dimmable, electronic ballasts. A light management system and LED fittings in the showroom and boulevard areas minimizes the time lights are in use, reducing power consumption for lighting by 25%. The background lighting system for these areas during working hours automatically tops up the available daylight. Sensors detect the presence of people and the appropriate preprogrammed lighting scenario is activated. In the office zone, the lighting system was planned to comply with DIN EN 12464, the European guideline for lighting intensity in interior workplaces. In all the offices and conference rooms, presence detectors make sure the lights are on only when the areas are in use.
Solar power
The capacity of the 239 m² of photovoltaic panels installed on the building is over 25,000 KWh per year, with peak output of 30 KWp. This would be enough to operate up to 1,500 energy-saving 20 W light bulbs simultaneously. A 6 m² solar collection system supplies most of the hot water required for the heating system and normal hot water.
Green roof
Wide areas of the roof have been constructed as a green roof and planted with low-growing, drought-resistant plants. The green roof keeps the building cooler in summer and warmer in winter. A cistern stores rain water run-off to use for toilet flushing. Through the combination of rigorous energy-saving measures and extensive solar energy systems, the Hettich Forum building achieves a net zero energy balance. The building’s energy consumption is 73% below the levels set by current German energy-saving legislation. On March 5, 2009, the Hettich Forum project received a partner certificate from the European Commission’s Green Building Programme. The certificate honours the exemplary planning and construction effort and the implementation of Green Building Programme guidelines for energy efficiency in non-residential buildings.