Complete renovation of an apartment building based on circular economy
The European Union's ambitious plan is to renovate 35 million buildings by 2030, of which 4 million are apartment buildings. Timbeco, in cooperation with TalTech University, has developed a solution for the renovation of apartment buildings based on the circular economy. The goal is to recycle the removed building materials (old roof, windows, etc.), speed up renovation, make the building more energy efficient and improve people's living environment.
Regional
Estonia
Saue Municipality, Estonia
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
Yes
Horizon2020 / Horizon Europe
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 841850.
No
Yes
2022-02-23
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Timbeco Ehitus OÜ Type of organisation: For-profit company First name of representative: Erki Last name of representative: Muhu Gender: Male Nationality: Estonia If relevant, please select your other nationality: Estonia Function: Marketing manager Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Saku-Tõdva tee 41 Town: Saku vald Postal code: 75508 Country: Estonia Direct Tel:+372 508 9156 E-mail:erki@timbeco.ee Website:https://timbeco.ee/
In 2021, Timbeco renovated an apartment building in Saue, Harjumaa, Estonia based on the circular economy principle.
The goal of the project was to reconstruct the apartment building in the most optimal way, doing it in a short period of time and to use building materials in such a way that they could be reused after the end of the life of the reconstructed building. The goal was also to do the reconstruction works at the time people are living in the building, while minimizing the impact on their lives during the process. During the project, products and materials of domestic origin are used as much as possible, for example facade elements and windows are produced in Estonia. We reused the materials removed from the building during the renovation as much as possible.
Before starting the facade work, the building's heating, water, and sewage systems were also replaced, ventilation with heat recovery was installed. The electrical system of the building was partially reconstructed.
During the renovation of the building, high-quality insulated facade elements produced in Timbeco wooden house factory were used. Facade elements are covered with painted cement fibre board combined with wooden boards. In the production of the elements, ventilation strips and frame material were used, which were glued together from production scraps using the finger jointing method. The old windows were removed and replaced with triple-glazed plastic windows that were previously installed in wooden elements at the factory.
The element structures were designed in such a way that they can later be removed from the walls and used for the same purpose on another building or disassembled.
Sustainability
Circular economy
Smaller CO2 footprint
Energy efficiency
Increase in quality of life
Energy saving
With the renovation, based on calculations, more than 50% heat energy savings and more than 20% electricity savings are achieved. The building has a district heating system. During the renovation, 50kW of solar panels were installed on the roof. The total electric energy production of solar panels is ~60% of the annual consumption of the entire building. It is not possible to use all the produced energy on site and the surplus is sold to the electricity grid. Before the renovation, the building had energy class D with 173 kWh/(m2*a). As a result of the renovation, the building has been assigned an A energy class with 99 kWh/(m2*a).
The speed of the construction process
In the renovation process, factory-produced wall elements were used, which significantly accelerated the renovation process. The installation duration of wall elements including demolition works was 8 weeks, which is about 4 times faster compared to most commonly used ETICs solution. Construction scaffolding and window coverings were not used, and people were disturbed as little as possible.
Construction-demolition waste disposal-reuse
We utilized the construction-demolition waste generated on the construction site in a way that allows us to recycle as many materials as possible during the construction process:
- Concrete with recycled filler is used to pour the building plinth
- The roof sheet removed from the building was reused on the roof of a farmhouse in Estonia
- Old windows are partly recycled and partially used in apartment owners' cottages and in the construction of garden houses
- The old cast iron radiators were partly reused in the corridors of the apartment building. Previously, the inside of the radiators was washed, the external surface was cleaned with sandblasting and painted.
Extending the life of the building
The life of the apartment building was extended by at least 50 years, and this gives the owners confidence for a longer period of time. The value of an apartment in this deep renovated building is 20-30% higher than the value of unrenovated apartments in the same area.
From balconies to expanding kitchens
Originally, the balconies were located on the north side of the building and were accessed from the kitchen. The balconies were built together with the existing kitchen and thus 5,2-6,7 m2 of useful surface area of the apartment was added. In the past, the balconies were facing north, where the sun did not shine, and therefore they were less used. New balconies were built on the southern side of the building and they began to be used significantly more. In addition, the balconies are built in such a way that there are no cold bridges with the main building, and the balconies protect the living spaces from excessive sun.
Improvement of quality of life and indoor air
Improved living comfort and IEQ for the occupants achieved by means of the insulated building envelope, moisture safety control, and user-centric operation and management building systems. Balanced ventilation with heat recovery where ventilation pipes are integrated into modular additional insulation elements.
The renovation method can be successfully applied to many identical buildings
Demonstration of the effectiveness and replicability of the proposed solutions to lead to an increased rate of renovation for defined building typologies in several districts/cities/regions in North-East Europe
Renovating apartment buildings using factory-produced wooden elements is significantly faster than renovating an apartment building using traditional methods.
If we keep in mind the ambitious renovation plans of the European Union, renovation with factory-produced elements is one of the most suitable solutions to achieve this goal.
Factory produced elements are quality controlled and their installation requires less transport volume and labor on site. In addition, this method disturbs residents living in apartment buildings less, because there are no window coverings and scaffolding.
The wooden elements used in the renovation can be removed from the building after the end of its useful life and reused for the construction of smaller buildings. This ensures the circular economic aspect of the renovation process and ensures a lower cost of building materials over a longer period.
The people living in the buildings will directly benefit from the project, as their quality of life will increase significantly. Renovation of buildings makes the urbanized environment more beautiful and adds added value to the living environment and indirectly also to those who live in the surrounding area.
TalTech University was involved in the project, and it creates new knowledge for the university related to building renovation. Before the start of the project, the wooden panels used for insulation were also tested and data collected, which added important value and knowledge-based initial information.
The circular economy-based renovation process also directly benefited a farm located in a rural area, to which we gave the roof cover removed from the renovated building and thus significantly extended the life of the farm building.
TalTech University
Thanks to the data collected by TalTech's building physics, we are able to provide an accurate overview of the project's costs and the effect that the renovation had on the building. In addition, the CO2 footprint during the renovation and life cycle of the building was calculated, which gave a good overview of the outcome of the complete renovation.
Horizon 2020 project Drive0
The renovation of the apartment building was supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 project DRIVE0, which is called "Decarbonisation of EU buildings - innovative approaches and affordable solutions that change the building renovation market". The project should help accelerate the improvement of the energy efficiency of buildings across Europe.
Estonian Enterprise and Innovation SA
Supported the entire project with 40% financial support, which was an important contribution to the success of the renovation project. Since the foundation deals with guaranteeing apartment building renovation loans and distributing renovation grants, it was also one of the first renovation projects carried out in this way for them, from which they learned a lot.
Construction physics
Thanks to Taltech researchers, we were able to collect data from a sample element that was previously installed on the wall of the building for tests before the work was carried out. This made it possible to analyze different data and perform different tests based on it. The Timbeco designers received very good input and this helped speed up the design process.
Implementation of circular economy principles
Renovation based on the circular principle is still very new in Estonia, and the first steps in this direction are also being taken in Europe. We learned a lot and gained experience in evaluating different activities in order to calculate the direct cost and income of the activity. Thanks to Taltech's announcements, correct calculations of the Co2 footprint were performed and it also made it possible to see the result of the circular renovation. In addition, residents also benefited from the recycling of materials, who could also use some of the materials for personal use.
Thanks to the Saue pilot project, a larger number of apartment building renovation projects have been undertaken in Estonia, which are similar and based on the principles of the circular economy. The renovation of buildings with factory-produced wall elements is here to stay, and it is an important area for the entire Estonian wooden house sector to focus on in the future.
The implementation of circular economy principles in the construction sector, and especially in the field of renovation, is making a big jump in entering the market. The renovation of the apartment building in Saue provided Timbeco and Taltech University with a lot of knowledge and required a large amount of development work to successfully implement the project and apply circular economy principles.
Thanks to the Saue renovation project carried out by Timbeco, which was treated as a pilot project by various parties, conditions have been created for the implementation of new similar renovation projects in Estonia. A new large-scale renovation procurement has already started, where dozens of buildings are being renovated based on a similar construction project in various Estonian cities are being renovated. This shows that the Estonian public, housing associations, credit companies and organizations dealing with European Union subsidies trust the new industrial renovation practice and support its large-scale introduction.
The application of circular economy principles has also become the new normal, where construction waste, old roofs, pipes, radiators, and demolished concrete waste get a new life and are reused. The wooden panels used in the renovation process are made in such a way that they can be removed from the buildings if necessary and used in the construction of new buildings.
During the complete renovation of the building, people lived in their apartments.
The renovation of the building was thorough, and the work also extended to people's living quarters. We were able to direct the processes in such a way that people lived inside their homes and tried to disturb them as little as possible.
The renovation process is significantly faster than traditional renovation solution
With factory-produced wall elements, which are already equipped with ventilation systems, windows and facade finishing material at the factory, it is possible to install facade insulation much faster. Scaffolding was not used during the renovation of the 3-story apartment building. This reduced the risk to people's property and did not disturb the view from the windows for a long time.
Construction materials removed from the building during the renovation process were recycled according to the circular economy principle.
During the renovation of the building, the old roof, windows, radiators, heating pipes, etc. were removed. As much as possible of the materials that were removed from the building got a new life and were directed to circular economy projects. This is a more expensive solution, but it helps to keep construction materials in circulation and reduces the generation of waste.
The wooden elements can be used later according to the principle of circular economy.
The wooden elements installed on the building are designed in such a way that they can be used later, after the end of the building life cycle, when erecting new buildings. 1- or 2-story buildings can be built from wooden elements, and it can be done cost-effectively.
Implementation of circular economy principles
Renovation of buildings based on circular economy principles is a technology of the future, which allows buildings to be renovated significantly faster and disturbs residents as little as possible. The facade elements produced in the factory make it possible not to erect scaffolding and thereby save an important financial resource, and thus leave more humane living conditions for the apartment owners. In addition, there is no risk of becoming a victim of burglary when erecting scaffolding. The parts that can be removed from the building can be recycled and find the most suitable place of use for them.
Use of factory-produced facade elements
In our opinion, the renovation of buildings using factory-produced facade solutions is very important and contributes to the achievement of European climate goals. This method ensures a solution that is 50% faster than traditional renovation methods, thereby disturbing residents less.
Renovation of apartment buildings based on circular economy principles can also be applied to other building types, such as school buildings, kindergartens, hospitals and other larger public buildings. The people in the buildings are disturbed as little as possible, there is no need to maintain scaffolding around the building, the renovation process is significantly shorter and more efficient - a lot of work can already be done in factory conditions.
For a better, sustainable future, we need to change the way we build. The built environment is responsible for 40% of final energy consumption in the EU. The embodied energy in buildings counts for up to 60% of the building’s life cycle energy, with collateral embodied CO2. 25%-30% of waste streams generated in the EU derives from construction and demolition. This needs to change.
Improving the circular renovation process will improve the way we build. Within the EU more than 50% of all extracted materials are attributed to buildings. The exploitation of natural resources and its collateral environmental impact is a serious threat to the natural, social and economic systems in the EU. Renewable energy technologies as well as reuse and recycling of resources/materials are needed to overcome this challenge. Therefore, a transition to both a deep and circular renovation process for the total European building stock is necessary.
How we want to do this? By improving a customer centered circular renovation process. That way, we want to make the deep and circular renovation process more attractive for consumers and investors, environmentally friendly and cost effective.
