Best Practice: Revitalizing an office building
Challenges and solutions in the energy-efficient renovation of an administration building during ongoing operations
The Kampmann headquarters is not only a workplace for over 230 employees, but also a showcase for modern building technology. As part of a comprehensiveenergy-efficiency renovation, we have gradually revitalized the office building—moving away from fossil fuels and toward heat pumps, efficient ventilation, and smart control systems. We want to share our experiences and key data from a renovation during ongoing operations to provide insight into what a future-proof modernization of existing buildings can look like.
Renovation data at a glance
Building data
| Year of manufacture / Reference | 2000 |
| Floors | 5 (incl. basement) |
| Gross floor area | approx. 5,300 m2 |
| Employees | approx. 230 |
| Old system | New system | |
|---|---|---|
| Heat generation | Gas heating | Heat pumps |
| Cooling | Chiller with recooler | Heat pumps |
| Air conditioning units | Wall convectors | PowerKon LT |
| Ventilation | without mechanical ventilation | Compact ventilation units |
| Controller | Old room control (Status 2000) |
KaControl MC |
Project voices on revitalization
In the video, the project stakeholders explain the most important steps of the revitalization and their technical background. The focus is on planning in existing buildings, implementation during ongoing operation, and the system approach.
Why we revitalized
The administrative building is over 25 years old and equipped with technology from the early 2000s. The cooling supply failed again and again during the summer. At the same time, the requirements for energy efficiency, climate comfort, and sustainability increased. We took the opportunity to implement our new products as a system solution and to enhance the building as a reference project for building renovation.
25 years after the building was constructed, we show what is possible today with modern technology – and how renovation in existing buildings succeeds.
Modernization of building technology
Room air conditioning
252 heat pump radiatorsPowerKon LT including cooling function, specially adapted to the existing spandrel paneling. Existing suspension points and lines of the old convectors could be used, so that the intervention in the building structure was minimized and the installation time could be significantly reduced.
The units are designed for low temperature operation and meet the requirements for noise comfort in office spaces.
To the PowerKon LT
Heating & Cooling
6 heat pumps of the KaClima M series with natural refrigerant R290 and a
The prefabricated pipe sets ensure minimal installation effort and on-site space requirements. User interface, cascade control, outside temperature sensor, and flow monitor are integrated ex-factory.
To the KaClima Series
Controller
Smart room control for all heating, cooling, and ventilation components with theKaControl MC system controller and the room control unit Touch Panel TP 2. Communication takes place viaCAN bus, on a per-floor basis viaModbus TCP to the system controller and on to the building management system viaBACnet.
The Multi Connect climate control creates the basis for compliant energy monitoring.
To the KaControl MCSystem solution from a single source
The core of our system solution is the perfectly matched interaction of heat pump, fan coils, hydraulics, and control system. This way, we extract the maximum performance, energy efficiency, and comfort from the conditions of an existing building. By integrating all components into our building management system, we can capture and analyze operating data and optimally control the system – an important step for energy monitoring and sustainable building management.
Challenges in renovation of existing buildings
-
Renovation during operation:
230 employees could not be relocated, therefore work was carried out in 8 sections, using alternative offices and home office.
-
Existing building:
25 years old, low ceiling heights, high-quality spandrel paneling – solutions through disassembled ventilation units, round pipes, and custom heating/cooling units.
-
Perfect synergy:
Heat pump, fan coils, hydraulics, and control system coordinated for maximum performance and efficiency.
Benefits of renovation
- Significantly increased energy efficiency
- Climate-neutral heat through heat pumps with natural refrigerants
- Comfortable indoor air quality – direct positive feedback from employees
- Contribution to the energy transition through modernization of existing stock
