ÖGUT Environmental Award 2026 for AEE INTEC and Green Energy Lab

Celebrating the award ceremony: Project Manager Florine Leighton (AEE INTEC), together with Susanne Supper (Green Energy Lab) and Christian Fink (AEE INTEC), receives the ÖGUT Environmental Award 2026 from ÖGUT Secretary General Monika Auer (far left), Rupert Pichler (BMIMI, second from left) and ÖGUT President Andrea Reithmayer (far right). © Katharina Schiffl/ÖGUT

In Austria, 41% of buildings were constructed before 1981, and 38% of the building stock is considered to be in need of renovation. To achieve climate targets, 3% of buildings would need to be renovated annually, compared to the current rate of just 1.5%. This is precisely where RENVELOPE comes in: the project has developed a serial renovation method using prefabricated façade modules with integrated building services. The solution could be applied to 71,500 large-scale buildings across Austria. For this approach, RENVELOPE received the ÖGUT Environmental Award 2026 in the “Climate-Neutral City” category.

Building envelope and building services combined in one system

The aim is to make energy-efficient renovations faster, more efficient and consistently high in quality, while minimising disruption to ongoing building operations. The innovation lies in its holistic system approach: renovation is carried out through the building’s external envelope. Technical functions that would normally be installed inside the building are integrated directly into the building envelope in the RENVELOPE concept. The modules combine insulation, windows, solar shading, photovoltaics, ventilation, utility routing and thermally activated building systems, among other features. Digital 3D planning, a high degree of prefabrication and just-in-time, just-in-sequence delivery significantly reduce construction time while allowing buildings to remain in use.

The RENVELOPE project is being implemented by a consortium of 17 partners and led by the research institute AEE – Institute for Sustainable Technologies (AEE INTEC). It is being carried out as part of the Green Energy Lab Flagship Region Energy and funded by the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund.

Three demonstration sites showcase practical applications

The project covers the development, planning, implementation and evaluation of serial renovation solutions at three demonstration sites: an apartment building in Vienna, a student residence in Graz and a regional vocational school in Knittelfeld. These sites are being used to assess how the solution can be transferred to different building types and operating conditions.

At the Vienna demonstration site at Arenberggasse 4, the findings from the implementation and the theoretical calculations demonstrate the technical feasibility and energy performance of the serial renovation method. The renovation was carried out while residents continued to occupy the building. All façade elements, including thermally activated components, were installed within three weeks. Switching the energy system from gas to renewable energy sources required only minimal work inside the apartments. According to the energy performance certificates issued before and after renovation, both the heating energy demand and calculated CO₂ emissions are reduced by 77%. This corresponds to savings of approximately 64 tonnes of CO₂ per year.

High transferability and potential for large-scale implementation

RENVELOPE’s key advantage lies in its broad applicability to the existing building stock. A potential analysis shows that more than 71,500 buildings in Austria are, in principle, suitable for this serial renovation solution. If all eligible buildings were renovated using the RENVELOPE method, CO₂ emissions could be reduced by 2.1 million tonnes. This is equivalent to approximately one-third of the CO₂ emissions from Austria’s building stock.

RENVELOPE is thus developing replicable solutions for the rapid, quality-assured and economically viable decarbonisation of the building sector. From an economic perspective, digital process chains, a high degree of prefabrication, short installation times and standardisable solutions offer significant potential for scaling up. Building occupants also benefit from less disruption during renovation and, once the work is completed, improved indoor air quality, lower energy costs and greater thermal comfort.

Outlook

Until the end of the project, the demonstration sites will continue to be monitored, building operations will be optimised, and the technical, economic and organisational findings will be evaluated. Standardisable solutions and processes have already been identified that support the widespread adoption of serial renovation across Austria’s building stock and contribute to the decarbonisation of buildings and neighbourhoods. Initial applications have already taken place outside the research project, including the serial renovation of HTL Steyr, a higher technical college.

Find out more about the RENVELOPE research project.