The Retrofit Module Design Guide shows four different approaches on how prefabricated renovation modules could be designed and produced. The concepts presented have been developed by national teams from Austria, France, Portugal and Switzerland. They had tried to consider the specific needs and possibilities of each country and to apply different materials. They are presented in four separate sections:

Part A
The Swiss solution is based on small modules with a high degree of standardisation. The prefabricated façade modules concentrate on the window area as the area with the highest concentration of technical details, whereas the plain façade parts are insulated traditionally. Also the façade finish – ventilated cladding or rendering – is done on site. This concept has also been used for the development of roof elements, for flat or sloped roofs.

Part B
The Austrian solution is based on large glazed façade modules, which are fully prefabricated. They are as high as the building story and up to 12 m long. They have been already tested at various demonstration buildings in Graz.

Part C
The French development was focussed on large vertical façade elements with metal under-construction. Special attention was given to the avoidance of thermal bridges. Prototypes were produced and tested.

Part D
The Portuguese study concentrated also on fully prefabricated but smaller sized modules. They are based on easy mountable metallic and of course insulated façade panels.

Download: 128 pages, detailed information on module design and construction, english, PDF 10.2 MB