Cool Alps 
Cool*Alps - TAB goes Green Deal.
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Overview

More frequent heat waves are expected to lead to a significant rise in energy demand for cooling buildings. However, the air-conditioning split units that often equip buildings further aggravate the problem by generating waste heat. Cool*Alps aims at improving the climate change adaptability and energy security of the Alpine region by supporting the diffusion of innovative Thermal Activated Buildings (TABs). The latter enable CO2-free heating and cooling with one system and make settlements more flexible and resilient to extreme heat periods. Cool*Alps leverage their great potential by developing the competences of builders and planners and supporting decision makers in implementing TABs.

Factsheet

  • 2021 – 2027
  • Carbon neutral and resource sensitive Alpine region
  • SO 2.1 - Promoting energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions
    • AG9 Energy efficiency and renewable energy
  • 09/2022
  • 02/2024
  • 538.700 EUR
  • 388.800 EUR

Description

Climate scenarios indicate a significant increase in heat waves and extreme weather events in the Alpine region. At the same time, the expansion of renewable energy bears new challenges in energy supply security due to the volatility of production and raises the need for storage options. Currently, buildings are increasingly being equipped with climate-split devices which further exacerbate the microclimatic problem of the environment due to waste heat. With thermal component activation (TAB), a technology is available in a climate-friendly and cheap way and release it again with a time delay. This flexibility can make settlements more resilient to extreme heat periods and make a direct contribution to energy security. TABs have increasingly been implemented in the Alpine region in recent years, but the great potential of cooling as well as storing renewable energy has been insufficiently exploited. Reasons for that include primarily lack of knowledge on the part of planners, adherence to existing practices as well as lack of funding.

The overarching goal of the project is to improve the adaptability and resilience of buildings and settlements in the Alpine region. A package of resources enabling sensitisation and knowledge transfer to plan thermally acitvated buildings and settlements in the ASP programme area will be provided. A TAB toolbox includes the following four dimensions: a planning guide, a proposal paper for TAB fundings and improvement of legal framework conditions, a pool for experts and the Innovation map TAB Alpine Space, with the aim of sensitising and increasing the competences and knowledge exchange of builders, planners, and political decision makers.

The hub of this project is the existing online tool "Innovation Map TAB" by the Salzburg-Bavaria region (www.zukunft-bau.at/innovationslandkarte), which will be rolled out to the whole of Austria, Southern Germany, Northern Italy, and Switzerland. There are currently different approaches and strengths: in Southern Germany and Northern Italy, mainly commercial buildings are being implemented with TAB, while Austria has initial experiences with subsidies in redidential construction, and in Switzerland, innovative processes for concrete  recycling are being developed. In the building sector, innovations are strongly determined by the radius of action. Due to the transnational approach of the project, the partner countries can benefit greatly from each other´s technical and normaitve experiences. Common to all regions are the need for practice-oriented training, best pracise projects and an active exchange among experts. The planned measures should lead to innovation impulse and an accelerated implementation of this key technology. The spatial proximity of the project regions, the similar climatic conditions and the supra-regional electricity market are strong drivers and guarantors for maximum synergies for a joint approach.

Partners

Future agency for construction (Lead partner)
  • Lead partner
  • Austria
  • Salzburg (AT32)
  • Salzburg
Bayern Innovativ Ltd.
  • Germany
  • Mittelfranken (DE25)
  • Nürnberg
BETONSUISSE Marketing AG
  • Switzerland
  • Espace Mittelland (CH02)
  • Bern
Innovation Salzburg
  • Austria
  • Salzburg (AT32)
  • Salzburg
Energy Agency South Tyrol - CasaClima
  • Italy
  • Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen (ITH1)
  • Bozen
Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences
  • Germany
  • Oberbayern (DE21)
  • Rosenheim
  • 47.751813513.0168924
  • 49.450126111.1021933
  • 46.94800947.4447301
  • 47.801509613.0183245
  • 46.498112511.3547801
  • 47.867467812.1072215

Outcomes


  • TAB roll-out toolbox

    A package of resources enabling sensitization and knowledge transfer for the planning of thermally activated buildings and settlements in the ASP programme area will be provided. The toolbox includes the following four dimensions: a planning guide, a proposal paper for TAB fundings and improvement of legal framework conditions, a pool of experts and the Innovation map TAB Alpine Space, with the aim of sensitizing and increasing the competences of builders, planers and political decision-makers.

Pilots


  • Innovation map TAB Alpine Space

    The created Innovation map currently includes over 80 Thermal Activated Buildings (TAB) from five different building typologies. If you zoom into the map, individual projects become visible.  Each building has an information box with key data on the construction method and special features as well as photos. In addition there is a pool of experts, in which over 110 experts from Austria and Germany who are already working with TAB are presented. The map is the ideal basis to build a network of builders, planners and architects. In addition, interested builders can find experts, which have already experience with TAB. In the Interreg project Cool Alps, the innovation map is being extended across the entire alpine region to make buildings and experts visible in all regions. Get an impression and click through the map at the following link: www.zukunft-bau.at/en/innovation-map      

Project calendar

10 - 12 Oct 2023
International Summer Academy for Alpine Construction
Project: Cool Alps
Learn the theory of innovative Alpine buildings and join us on the planned excursions!
@ ZAB Volksschule Hallwang
12 Oct 2023
Symposium on Alpine Construction 2023
Project: Cool Alps
Demolition. Outbreak. Departure.
Matthias Jessner
    30 Mar 2023
    Crash course - Thermal Activated Buildings
    Project: Cool Alps
    Crash course Thermal activated buildings - Basics and trends!
    IMG_3208

      Project news

      Cool*Alps at BauInnovativ

      21.02.2023
      At the BauInnovativ event, we had the opportunity to present the Cool*Alps project to a professional audience. CO2-free heating and cooling in the Alpine region!

      It´s getting hot - make residential buildings summer-proof!

      21.02.2023
      Cool*Alps at the "Bauen und Wohnen" fair in Salzburg - how to archive summer suitability of residential buildings

      Cool*Alps round of talks at the Klimahouse trade fair

      14.03.2023
      Round of talks with Ing. Clara Peretti (freelancer), Ing. Piero Bernabé (Progress) and Ing. Norbert Klammsteiner (Energytech) about Thermal activated buildings.

      Thermal Activated Buildings - the storage technology of the future?

      02.05.2023
      The webinar on the topic of Thermal activated buildings TAB, which was held in cooperation with the Swiss Architects' Association SIA, was a successful event with interesting presentations and committed participation from the approximately 60 participants from Switzerland, Germany and Austria.

      The innovation map for "Thermal Activated Buildings" goes online

      02.05.2023
      The created Innovation map currently includes Thermal Activated Buildings from five different building typologies in 4 diferent countries. Get an impression and click through the map at the following link: www.zukunft-bau.at/en/innovation-map