greenTES – Integration of photovoltaics and greenery into prefabricated timber facades

A climate-neutral building stock by 2050 can only be realized by increasing the rate of renovation and by integrating renewable energy generation in new construction and renovation concepts. At the same time, climate change requires adaptation measures to maintain a healthy and liveable climate in cities. The research project greenTES addresses both problems by investigating the integration of photovoltaics and greenery systems into prefabricated timber building structures. Here, the TES Energy Facade (Timber based Element System) provides both a construction system and a systematic workflow for the deep retrofit of existing buildings to sustainable and future-oriented standards. It allows the application of diverse facade claddings as well as the integration of building technology systems and is now to be extended for the "green" components PV and greenery as well as opened for applications in new buildings. Prefabrication and standardized processes minimize the object-specific development effort and occurring errors when applying the new facade materials.

In order to provide flexible measures, the research aims to conceive specific but transferable solutions of critical integration issues. The advantages and disadvantages of different vertical greenery systems and PV modules and the suitability of prefabricated timber building systems are fundamentally clarified using the TES façade as an example. The structural integration of different greenery and PV systems is conceptually developed and subsequently tested and optimized by means of a 1:1 mock-up. Hygrothermal simulations and their metrological validation on the mock-ups investigate the building-physical implications of both systems on the timber structure. Extensive fire tests allow the evaluation of fire safety. The research results, including the integrated workflow and economic evaluation, are made available in the form of a planning guide and digital sample details.