Sustainable housing

Clondalkin Nursing Home in Dublin was acquired by Aedifica in mid-2023. With a net energy use intensity of approximately 106 kWh/m², the newly constructed building was awarded an A3 Building Energy Rating (BER).

With its thoroughly insulated envelope, this state-of-the-art building exemplifies high-level compactness and energy efficiency. A Combined Heat and Power unit reduces energy consumption. Moreover, in Clondalkin Nursing Home, energy efficiency and comfort for residents come hand in hand. The new building blends seamlessly into the historic environment in which it is embedded. Natural ventilation enhances comfort while reducing reliance on mechanical systems. Additional sustainability measures are being explored, demonstrating the long-term dialogue we have with our tenants on sustainability.

When constructing the Seniorenquartier Sehnde, we not only looked at how to make the building as comfortable as possible, but also considered energy efficiency. We made sure our brand-new care home in the eponymous town meets the high energy efficiency standard ‘KfW-EH 55’, reflecting our ongoing commitment to sustainability. With a net energy use intensity of approx. 100 kWh/m², this building accommodates elderly care for 90 residents in an energy efficient way.

In addition, 55% of heating and cooling needs are met by renewable energy sources, significantly reducing the building’s carbon footprint.

Seniorenquartier Sehnde is one of the projects that was constructed in the framework of the development deal with Specht Gruppe.

Heerenhage in Heerenveen was completely redeveloped by Aedifica into a sustainable and energy-efficient care campus with 126 apartments for the elderly. With a net energy use intensity of approximately 70 kWh/m², the site was awarded an EPC label ‘A’ on completion.

The care campus was built with a high level of compactness and a thoroughly insulated envelope to minimise energy demand and meet (future) comfort requirements as effectively as possible. To meet the remaining energy demand as sustainably as possible, the building was fitted with solar panels and a groundwater heat pump was installed for both space heating and hot water.

Seniorenhaus Lessingstrasse in Wurzen is the first of its kind to meet the high energy efficiency standard ‘KfW-EH 40’. With an energy demand of only 40% of a comparable reference building – according to German sustainability regulations – this care home has an estimated net energy use intensity of 85 kWh/m².

Aedifica has also invested in renewable energy sources: energy for heating the building is provided by a biomass installation and the roof is equipped with a 67kWp solar panel system. The care home features a loggia, optimising solar exposure and natural daylight. Moreover, the building has a highly insulated and compact envelope. The central ventilation system is equipped with heat recovery and can also be used for cooling.

Our service community concept demonstrates our commitment to the development of innovative and sustainable residential care concepts that meet the evolving expectations of our society and the current challenges in the care sector.

Jussi Karjula, CEO Hoivatilat

Aedifica’s mission is to develop sustainable and innovative residential care concepts that meet its users’ needs and improve their quality of life. In Finland, the Hoivatilat team developed the ‘service community’ concept, which offers the ideal environment to combine multiple types of care and services for both the building’s users and the community at large on a single campus. While service communities were recently completed in Espoo and Tuusula, and another new campus will be delivered in Lohja in summer 2021, the very first service community was opened in Lahti in 2015. The Lahti service community offers housing and care to different age groups, accommodating 30 elderly persons and welcoming up to 80 children on a daily basis. Both groups have their own dedicated buildings that are connected by a common inner courtyard. Elderly care is provided by Attendo, day care for children by Pilke. The campus was specifically designed to enrich their lives by creating several opportunities for them to meet each other and share experiences.

In 2015, lifecycle thinking and this kind of collaboration between two operators was a relatively new concept. I am pleased to see that our initiative has gained interest and is being implemented in other places as well.

Anne Manninen, Attendo

Seniors and children can meet each other on the common courtyard or during joint activities. The day-care centre focuses on music and organises performances in the care home on a weekly basis. The children frequently visit the seniors, so that they can sing and play together. These activities are often related to an upcoming holiday or another theme. This community model benefits both age groups. It teaches the children tolerance for the elderly and shows them that old people are valuable and that it is pleasant to interact with them. The residents, meanwhile, look forward to the children’s visits and enjoy playing with them or watching them play. It refreshes their mind, even when they lack the energy to participate themselves. The service community has been operated by Attendo (elderly care) and Pilke (day care) since 2015. Both companies received an award for their innovative collaboration.

The campus allows us to organise common activities that bring joy and warmth to both the children and the seniors. We hope that when the pandemic subsides, we will be able to hold joint events again soon.

Maisa Jokinen, Pilke

Villa Casimir (or ‘Huize Ernst Casimir’) in Roermond (Netherlands) is a former villa and ‘rijksmonument’ (a national heritage site) built in 1908 that was redeveloped into a futureproof care residence, while fully preserving the cultural-historical value of the building. In October 2020, after little more than a year of renovation works, the villa opened its doors again for 18 elderly people requiring continuous care.

At the start of the redevelopment, the villa had a G-rated EPC (Energy Performance Certificate), which meant that the building’s energy consumption was very inefficient. Following Aedifica’s redevelopment investments, Villa Casimir received an A rating, indicating the building’s consumption is ‘most efficient’. The building and its installations are now futureproof, fit for the current generation and the next, contributing to the continued improvement of the sustainability of our real estate portfolio.

• We restored the villa’s unique characteristic elements to their former glory: high windows, wooden beams, French doors and stained-glass windows were preserved under the supervision of the heritage department.
• Solar panels were not installed to preserve the villa’s historic look. However, our all-electric approach provides the opportunity to use green energy and to accommodate new technological developments.
• We improved the insulation of the building’s roof, walls and basement floor. Windows and doors were fitted with the appropriate insulating glazing and equipped with sun blinds.
• During the redevelopment, we decided to install low-temperature heating instead of the initially planned high-temperature heating. We ensured that it is possible to switch to an individual heat pump or collective district heating at a later stage.
• We installed individual ventilation type C+ instead of collective ventilation type D, in order to ensure good air quality and circulation, the importance of which was again demonstrated during the Covid-19 pandemic. We have also anticipated the possibility of installing an E+ ventilation system in the future, allowing to recover the heat from the air outlet for low temperature heating and/or hot water production.
• We also paid special attention to a barrier-free environment for the residents and installed a high-performance cooling system to cope with increasingly frequent heat days.

Following Aedifica’s redevelopment investments, Villa Casimir received an A rating, indicating the building’s consumption is ‘most efficient’. The building and its installations are now futureproof, fit for the current generation and the next.
Raoul Thomassen, COO

The Martha Flora Rotterdam care residence in The Netherlands is intended for the care and housing of people with dementia. The care residence allows residents to live in a safe and secure small-scale environment.

This new purpose built three-storey care residence, consists of 29 care units varying in size from approximately 45 m² to 72 m². The care residence’s special feature is the ‘Meander’. A ‘Meander’ is a unique and central space, specially designed for people with dementia. It accommodates a place to eat, meet, organise activities and welcome families. The ‘Meander’ consists of a library, a living room, a kitchen, a garden/roof terrace and a workshop and offers direct access to the spacious and peaceful garden. By applying this concept, the care residence provides a sheltered environment where you can feel safe and serene, which creates comfort and contributes to the wellbeing of the residents.

Furthermore, the care residence has five couples units and a hospitable guest room is available for family and guests to stay.