Ecological Analysis Office Building in Nuremberg
LIST Eco was commissioned to assess the impact of preserving and renovating an existing building versus demolishing it and constructing a new one in terms of building- and operation-related CO2 emissions for an office building in Nuremberg.
To this end, a 3D model was created for both the existing building and the potential new building during one of the early project phases. Using this as a basis, the necessary mass and quantity frameworks for the remaining materials were established to compare the CO2 emissions resulting from preserving the existing structure with those from constructing a new load-bearing structure. The results were compared with the QNG reference value for contextual analysis. In an expanded comparison, various scenarios for CO2 emissions from building operations over a 50-year period were also included and contrasted.
Manage to green.
The core objective of the existing building and new construction analysis described below was to compare alternatives between the existing building (including gutting, adding a story, and expanding the footprint) and a potential new construction. The building at Bahnhofsplatz 2 was constructed in the 1960s. The structural system consists of a reinforced concrete structure with a natural stone façade. The study provided the client with a more in-depth assessment of the potential for preserving the existing building—particularly in light of economic feasibility. The life cycle assessment (LCA) serves as the key metric for analysis—for example, in comparing alternatives—and is supplemented by parallel analyses using other tools. Based on the results and findings, the next steps in the project and its implementation were coordinated with the Start Nürnberg Architectural Council.
Our Services:
- Working Basis: Kickoff workshop to clarify the approach and framework parameters
- Existing Conditions Analysis: Life cycle assessment
- New Construction Analysis: Life cycle assessment with variant comparison
- Comparison of Existing and New Construction: Ecological comparison between the existing building and the new construction
Model for calculating energy demand, created using ECAD software:
Structural system (renovation vs. new construction), in relation to the maximum CO2 budget according to QNG (LCA Class 1):
