Frankfurt/Main (dpa/lhe) – According to a research institute, Frankfurt is the world’s first hospital to be built as a passive house. According to the Passive House Institute in Darmstadt, which is responsible for the certification, the new building of the Frankfurt Höchst municipal clinic was “the first hospital in the world” to be certified as a passive house.
According to the Passive House Institute, hospitals are among the top energy consumers due to their 24-hour operation: emergency rooms, operating theatres, technical equipment, lighting, ventilation are used practically around the clock. Therefore, efficiency measures on the building are particularly worthwhile in a hospital. This includes efficiency measures on the building itself as well as good thermal insulation or energy-efficient devices.
On behalf of the Hessian Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Passive House Institute had prepared a basic study on the implementation of the Passive House concept in hospitals. According to the institute, the energy requirements of hospitals have not yet been fully recorded. Important areas such as EDP and large devices such as an MRT have not been taken into account in previous accounting procedures. This meant that the planners missed out on around half of the energy requirement.
The Economics Ministry considers the passive house standard in the Höchst Clinic to be exemplary: “The cleanest and cheapest energy is that which does not have to be generated in the first place,” said Minister Tarek Al-Wazir (Greens). This Wednesday, the minister wants to hand over the certificate to the clinic operator Varisano. The new building is to be occupied in autumn. The building, consisting of four crossbars, is eight stories high, has a helipad, almost 700 beds and 10 operating rooms. Around 1,600 employees will work in the building.