Sustainable & efficient: Construction in existing buildings
Against the backdrop of climate change and dwindling resources, as well as the lack of space in urban and suburban areas, high construction costs and long construction times, building under construction, i.e. the conversion of properties, is becoming an increasingly important part of our service portfolio.
Construction under construction refers to the structural alteration, modernization, renovation or conversion of existing buildings or structures. These are developments that build on existing structures instead of constructing new buildings on undeveloped land. The aim is to maintain or improve the value and usability of a property without completely replacing the existing structure.
Advantages of Construction in existing buildings
Sustainability is a key advantage of converting disused existing properties. By converting an existing building, the sealing of additional areas is avoided, thereby conserving the valuable resource of land.
Reduction of gray emissions
Another significant aspect is the saving of gray emissions that were already incorporated into the original construction of the property. This saving is made possible by preserving and using the existing building fabric. This reduces the use of building materials such as concrete, and materials that have already been used are naturally given a new life cycle.
Concrete is the most commonly used building material in Germany and, according to dena, contributes significantly to emissions in the building construction sector with 16 million tons of CO₂ equivalents. The reuse of concrete and other building materials is therefore hugely beneficial from a sustainability perspective.
Time and cost savings
Further advantages of buildingin existing buildings are the time and cost savings due to the already existing shell as well as funding opportunities from the KfW for the energy-efficient refurbishment of existing properties.
In addition, by maintaining the existing infrastructure and avoiding extensive demolition work, considerable construction times can be shortened and costs reduced.
Climate protection through conversion
A current ECE Work & Live project, for example, shows the savings potential offered by construction in existing buildings: CAALA, a software and consultant specializing in sustainability in the construction and real estate industry, calculated the following for the conversion of an office property into a hotel in Rome:
- 13% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over the entire life cycle compared to a new building.
- Almost 50 % reduction in gray emissions by preserving the building fabric.
further project examples
We are currently implementing the following three conversion projects in major European cities.
Rome: From office to hotel
In the heart of Rome, ECE Work & Live is currently converting a listed property that was previously used as an office building into a hotel for the lean-luxury hotel group Ruby Hotels.
On a gross floor area of 6,700 m2, 164 rooms are being created spread over six floors as well as a rooftop bar. The property will be certified with a DGNB sustainability label. The aim is also for the building to be taxonomy-compliant and achieve the GOLD certification level. The hotel is scheduled to open in 2025.
Copenhagen: New hotel instead of offices
ECE is also currently developing a hotel in Copenhagen to modern energy standards.
It will replace an office redevelopment project on the attractive main shopping street Gammel Kongevej in the independent district of Frederiksberg to the west of the city center.
To this end, the company acquired the plot of land with the former office property and an Existing / As-built space of around 7,600 m2 gross floor area in spring 2024. The planned design hotel with more than 200 rooms is due to be completed in early 2027.
Düsseldorf: Sustainable apartments instead of offices
In Düsseldorf, ECE Work & Live is planning to convert a former office property into an attractive and sustainable residential building with around 150 modern tenants or condominiums.
A special feature of this project is that the three-part building from the 1970s is centrally located in a residential area close to the zoo park, which is considered the city's green lung with its pond, meadows and playgrounds. In addition, the building's development plan already designates it as residential, so there is no need to draw up a new development plan.