Staying cool during increasingly hot weather

Key Learnings

• Engagement: By involving and engaging citizens from the very beginning, acceptance of the project significantly increased. All stakeholders unanimously agreed that such innovative ideas and approaches greatly enhance the quality of living.
• Collaboration: Good cooperation amongst stakeholders at all levels, including among the KLAR! Manager, the mayors, heads of departments and architects and master builders, was essential for the development of the guidelines.
• Funding: A combination of federal and state (regional) level funding made the creation of the guidelines possible.
• Financial: Climate-resilient buildings are not more expensive than conventional buildings.

Summary

Stiefingtal’s example demonstrates that European regions can adapt their building infrastructure to tackle the increasing impacts of climate change, improving the livelihood of residents and users in a cost-effective way, as climate-resilient buildings have proved to be no more expensive than conventional buildings. Early engagement with citizens and collaboration and cooperation amongst all stakeholders is vital, as is securing a diverse funding source.

Building from scratch: Stiefingtaler Haus (climate-friendly multi-storey residential building)

A prototype multi-store residential complex, with two self-sufficient residential buildings in the centre of St. Georgen an der Stiefing, is planned based on the guidelines for ‘climate-friendly construction in the Stiefingtal’. The motto of the residential complex is ‘living in the annual cycle of nature’. The complex is deliberately designed with vegetation in the form of trees and hedges. The complex is located in a transition area between farmland and a human settlement and is characterised by existing meadow orchard areas, which will be retained or redesigned. A community garden with raised beds and berry bushes will be located in the transition area to the farmland. On the roof of each house, there is a common open space covered with a solar PV system.

Contact

Name: Isabella Kolb-Stögerer

Organisation: KLAR! Stiefingtal

Email: isabella [dot] kolbreiterer-scherling [dot] at (isabella[dot]kolb[at]reiterer-scherling[dot]at)