Path to the Future (WEG zur Zukunft) - The Path to Implementing a Climate-Resilient Future in Condominium Ownership

The research project "WEG zur Zukunft / Path to the Future" examines the low renovation rates of condominium owners' associations (WEGs) in Austria and the associated communicative, regulatory, organizational, and financial challenges. In collaboration with the affected stakeholders – primarily owners and property management companies – foundations for solutions are being developed through a co-creative process that can assist in the path toward implementation.

Short Description

Starting point / motivation

The renovation rate in buildings of condominium owners' associations (WEGs) is currently too low to make the necessary contribution toward achieving climate goals. The obstacles on the path to the future are less technical and more communicative, regulatory, organizational, and financial in nature.

To make progress in this area, a transdisciplinary approach involving key stakeholders is needed:

property owners and residents (owner-occupiers and tenants),
property management companies, and
technical offices.

Contents and goals

The project aims to increase the renovation rate in condominium owners' associations and thereby contribute to achieving climate goals. It develops legal, economic and organizational foundations to empower property management companies and owners by providing them with practical tools and processes. Through data collection, visual presentation of legal frameworks, and a needs analysis, the challenges faced by WEGs will be identified.

Additionally, the foundations for a coaching program for property management companies and a qualification program for key owner stakeholders will be developed. A prototype implementation process will be designed to make renovation projects more efficient.

Methods

In a first step, an analysis and presentation of the current processes and framework conditions for renovation projects of homeowners' associations (WEGs) regarding legal, technical, communicative, and organizational aspects will take place. The methods applied are diverse and range from researching and preparing legal documents to analyzing renovation concepts, as well as conducting quantitative and qualitative surveys and group formats with property management companies and representatives of WEGs.

In a further step, based on the identified critical issues and bottlenecks in renovation processes, potential approaches, methods, tools, and formats will be developed that can contribute to a successful renovation process for WEGs. In this regard, (inter)national model projects will be examined for their transferability, and innovative financing options that have already been applied in other projects will be highlighted.

In a co-creative process with homeowners, the foundations of a qualification program for interested and committed homeowners will be developed. A dedicated project website with essential and continuously expanding content will provide ongoing information and networking opportunities for interested stakeholders.

Expected results

All gathered insights provide the basis for creating prototypical implementation processes by visually illustrating critical bottlenecks in various subject areas and process steps in an appealing and easily understandable way.

The central outcome of the project is the preparation of the gathered insights into a catalog of measures, which will outline concrete steps for various stakeholders to ensure a successful renovation process. Complementary to this, compact, topic-specific informational material will be developed – practical, application-oriented, and visually appealing.

Project Partners

Project management

wohnbund:consult eG Büro für Stadt.Raum.Entwicklung

Project or cooperation partners

ÖVI Österreichischer Verband der Immobilienwirtschaft
Schöberl & Pöll GmbH
RENOWAVE.AT e.G.

Contact Address

wohnbund:consult eG
Margarete Huber
Lenaugasse 19
A-1080 Wien
Tel.: +43 (1) 522 01 19
E-mail: margarete.huber@wohnbund.at
Web: www.wohnbund.at