ecoworks snaps up 23 million euro cooperative refurbishment project for existing buildings

ecoworks, Europe's pioneer for robot-assisted and AI-controlled building renovations, has been commissioned with Germany's largest cooperative series renovation project to date. The project sets a new benchmark for scalable, cost-efficient decarbonization of the European residential building stock.

In Hagen, North Rhine-Westphalia, twelve residential buildings will undergo a comprehensive energy modernization. A total of 23 million euros will be invested to bring all 192 apartments up to the KfW Efficiency House 55 standard (EH 55) and ensure climate-neutral operation on a net basis.

Industrial prefabrication instead of years of construction sites

The twelve existing buildings date back to 1966 and comprise around 15,000 square meters of living space. In the series modernization, key construction elements such as façades are prefabricated industrially. This drastically shortens the construction time on site and minimizes disruption for the tenants during the refurbishment.

Energy-efficient modernization is the key to a climate-neutral building stock. With the series modernization by ecoworks, we are consistently implementing our sustainability strategy in the Helfe district.

Sebastian Greese, Managing Director of Wohnungsverein Hagen eG

Measures in detail

The refurbishment includes:

• Thermal building envelope: industrially prefabricated timber frame façades with integrated insulation, windows and electric shutters.
• Roof & photovoltaics: Flat roofs are newly insulated and sealed. A high-performance PV system feeds the electricity generated into the grid.
• Living comfort: Existing loggias are replaced by significantly larger, covered balconies.
• Building technology: Central district heating supply remains in place. Decentralized exhaust fans and air inlets in the windows ensure an optimal indoor climate.

Energy efficiency and CO₂ savings

Around 75% of residential buildings in Germany require energy-efficient refurbishment, while the current renovation rate is less than one percent per year. Series modernization can significantly increase renovation rates, reduce costs and provide affordable living space more quickly.

Our high degree of prefabrication enables an efficient, fast and climate-neutral transformation of the housing sector. Together with Wohnungsverein Hagen, we are proving that entire neighborhoods can be renovated in record time in an energy-efficient manner.

Emanuel Heisenberg, founder and CEO of ecoworks

In the Helfe district, the final energy requirement will be reduced by 36%. The combination of a modern building envelope and locally generated PV electricity will save around 190 tons of CO₂ per year.

A model project for the energy transition

With this project, the Helfe district is becoming a model for climate-neutral building operation and demonstrates that the German government's ambitious climate targets for the building sector can be achieved economically using industrial renovation methods, even in cooperative housing construction.