Smart Dag - smart and climate-neutral renovation of the Dag Hammarskjöld housing estate

Starting point/ motivation

The Municipality of the provincial Capital City Klagenfurt on lake Woerthersee, department of climate and environmental protection is the only Austrian city to be included in the EU Cities Mission for 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030 and aims to achieve accounted carbon neutrality by 2030.

As one of six Austrian pioneer cities and with over 20 years of project experience in the area of climate and environmental protection, Klagenfurt plays a pioneering role in climate protection. A key pillar for achieving climate neutrality by 2030 lies, among other things, in the renovation of the city´s existing buildings and in the development of climate-neutral neighborhoods.

So far, renovations in Klagenfurt have only been implemented so-called "reconstruction projects", which means existing buildings were demolished and new buildings were constructed in their place. However, with this method, significantly more raw materials are used during the construction phase and three times more CO2e emissions are emitted compared to a full renovation.

The aim of the Smart Dag project is to explore the extent to which this enormous savings potential can be leveraged in relation to economic and legal framework conditions.

Contents and goals

With the Dag Hammersjköld housing estate, a social housing building owned by the city of Klagenfurt, an existing neighborhood from the late 1950s/early 1960s is being examined and the aim is to renovate it instead of demolishing/new building.

The target of the project is to create a basis for decision-making as to whether renovation or demolition/new construction is viewed in terms of the life cycle and makes more sense, taking ecological, economic and social factors into account. These decision parameters can also be applied to similar projects in Klagenfurt and Austria.

The aim, however, is to preserve as many as possible of the five buildings and the trees relevant to the microclimate, as well as to provide all current residents with affordable living space in the same location, even after the housing district has been further developed. The demolition materials should be processed and reused on site as far as possible.

Methods

In the Smart Dag feasibility study, an extensive analysis of the existing housing stock (buildings, green and open spaces, social structure) is carried out with the aim of establishing the best possible basis and objectives for the architectural competition.

In addition to a material concept, a mobility concept, an energy concept, a green and open space concept, special attention is paid to the interaction and integration of residents in social housing with a diverse tenant structure. This results in a social space concept. The competition entries in the architectural competition are also measured against specially developed sustainability criteria.

Expected results

The expected result is a ready-to-submit project for the housing development agency of the department of the provincial Carinthian Government and city building authority plus the basis for a follow-up demonstration project, as well as an innovative methodology for decision-making when renovating existing buildings versus demolishing/new buildings based on a simplified life cycle analysis.

Project management

Municipality of the provincial Capital City Klagenfurt on lake Woerthersee, department of climate and environmental protection

Project or cooperation partners

• FH Kärnten Villach, Studiengang Architektur
• Renowave.at
• IPAK GmbH
• Diakonie de la Tour
• Klagenfurt Wohnen

Magistrat der Landeshauptstadt Klagenfurt am Wörthersee
Abteilung Klima- und Umweltschutz
Bahnhofstraße 35
A-9020 Klagenfurt am Wörthersee
Tel.: +43 (463) 537 4886
E-Mail: wolfgang.hafner@klagenfurt.at
Webseite: www.klagenfurt.at/stadtservice/klima-umwelt/laufende-projekte