Trotec – Zero-energy Building
Trotec Produktions u. Vertriebs GmbH
Trotec is a subsidiary of Trodat – world leader in the stamp industry – and want to construct their new operational plant with new standards. Their building is designed for energy self-efficiency.
Further the building should be extendable. Ecoprojekt speaks of “extendable” when all fittings for the building services are available for extension and additional stories as well as the premises is laid out to fulfil future extensions.
Also the building shall mirror the slogans of the building owner Trodat and Trotec.
The building is structured in 4 building units with a total area of 5,200m²: 50 % are reservered for offices, R&D and sales department, 30 % for production and assembling and 20 % for storage space and dispatch department, as well as three floors. The whole building is erected as massive construction and insulation values are around 50 to 100 % better than required by the Austrian building regulations.
Electrical air condition and radiators were yesterday!
Surface heating and cooling systems with activated building components are deployed for heating and cooling of the building. This technology in combination with the optimal insulation and massive construction guaranties a lower demand for heating and cooling, a lower fluctuation in temperature and a higher storage capability. Due to missing thermal and air ventilation there is nearly no dust or noise exposure in the building. The building is aerated by a controlled room ventilation system.
The chimney was yesterday!
The entire heating demand – 200,00kWh/year – is coming from the sun. A 200m² warm water solar system saves into a 5000m³ storage underground and into a 270m³ extinguishing water tank during the summer months. The heat energy will be used directly or will be fed with geo-thermal heat pumps into the system. On sunny winter days the gained heat can be fed directly into the system. The supply air will be pre-heated in winter with 240m supply air lines underground.
The entire cooling demand – 130,000 kWh/year – is coming from underground. The cooling system consists of well water which is fed into the building components. For temperature equalization well water is fed via geo-thermal heat pumps into the heating system. The supply air will be cooled down and dehumidified by the 240m supply air lines underground in summer.
The entire electricity demand – 50,000 kWH/year – for the heating and cooling system: geo-thermal heat pump, water-water heat pump and circulation pumps is provided by an Austrian photovoltaic plant.
LED lighting is provided nearly in all areas of the building: offices, R&D, storage space, emergency lighting and outdoor facilities.
The building is research funded as high-duty solar plant, energy self-efficient for heating and cooling and has, therefore, no CO2 emission for heating and cooling.
Constructing at the right time
As the storage underground and the extinguishing water tank are the main components of the complex heating system, the construction had to be finished in spring that the warm water solar system can preheat the storage underground and the extinguishing water tank in the summer. If the construction would be finished in autumn, a temporary heating solution had to be installed, as the building cannot use the stored heating for the first winter.
Interestingly the economic efficiency of this high-duty solar project improves in the first years and prohibits a dependency on conventional energy sources such as gas, oil or bio mass during the building’s whole life cycle.
Despite the high-quality technology used, the building costs are only slightly above conventional buildings. The reasons are the activated public funding, optimal engineering and implementation by Ecoprojekt together with Trodat and Trotec. Not to forget the deployment of proven system suppliers from Austria like Immosolar for the storage underground, MSR technology and photovoltaic products and Fronius for the photovoltaic plant.
