The Lighthouse Project: an educational campus in Vienna with an innovative energy system | heating technology | technology

Vienna has set itself the goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2040. It was also agreed in the government program that the challenges of the climate crisis and summer heat should be taken into account for new buildings and renovations. A beacon project for this is the Lycelot Hansen-Schmidt Teaching Campus in Seestadt. Because geothermal energy and the sun cover the entire energy requirements of the campus through heat pumps and a photovoltaic system. The heating and cooling solution is particularly innovative: by using geothermal energy combined with concrete core thermal activation, a building can be heated and cooled cost-effectively and efficiently.

“Licelot Hansen-Schmidt Education Campus is an outstanding example of how climate protection and climate adaptation go hand in hand with innovative concepts. Clean electricity, clean heat and cold not only protect the climate, but also ensure a pleasant room climate for children and teachers. Smart energy solutions demonstrate Like the ones here in Seestadt we have long had the knowledge and resources to drive the energy transition,” says Jürgen Chernorsky, the city’s climate change advisor.

Thanks to the innovative energy concept, almost the entire campus can be supplied with renewable energy on site. Core components include passive house building envelope, energized concrete core (for suspended ceilings), heat pumps, geothermal/geothermal storage probes, solar (PV) and ventilation with high efficient heat recovery.

The heat is provided by a heat pump fed by solar energy from the roof of the building. The land under the building serves as an energy source for heating in winter. In summer, the building can be cooled in a highly efficient manner by free cooling, almost free and without CO2 emissions. Excess building heat is simply dissipated into the ground. Thermal activation of the heavy building mass turns the entire campus into a thermal storehouse.

Thanks to the highly insulated, airtight envelope and high storage mass, the building can maintain a constant temperature, even if renewable energy is not possible for several days (eg PV in winter). Due to the site’s high energy supply, the building also incurs low continuous energy costs.