Energy-Efficient Renovation of University Buildings and Their Use as Living Labs—The Technical Sciences Building at the University of Innsbruck as a Best Practice Example

CO2 emissions from the heating, cooling, and ventilation of university buildings are a large part of many universities’ total greenhouse gas emissions. Modern, energy-efficient buildings have a huge potential to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions and help universities in reaching carbon neutrality. However, universities are often restricted by various factors in their ability to build and finance new, highly energy-efficient buildings, which would reduce emissions significantly. This makes refurbishment of existing university buildings a high priority for many universities aiming at a reduction of their emissions. At the University of Innsbruck, the Technical Sciences Building, an 8-story reinforced concrete building built in 1971 with a 19.399 m2 gross floor area, typical for many university buildings in Central Europe, has been extensively refurbished with a strong focus on energy efficiency and reduction of renovation and operating costs. The presented renovation can be seen as a demonstration project for similar buildings awaiting refurbishment, with the building being the first office tower that achieved the EnerPHit certification for energy efficiency. In addition, the building has been equipped with a variety of sensors and is used as a living lab to collect learnings from the refurbishment, the management of the building and to improve the comfort and well-being of the over 700 employees working in the building. The following article introduces the process as well as the technical parameters of the building and its refurbishment, which is exceptionally well-documented and measured, as a best practice and shows how the building has been and still is used as a living lab for increasing energy efficiency as well as comfort.