Unimet Metallverarbeitung GmbH & Co KG

Solar thermal collectors, facade-integrated

Location:

Ungenach, Austria

Use:

Office and production building

Work carried out by ims:

Data evaluation and preparation of a performance and experience report of the thermal energy facade Unipower Pro.

Requirements

The energy-active façade is to provide solar heating energy, shall meet architectural aspects, have a long service life and be low-maintenance in operation. It should have all the physical properties of a modern facade, ensure daylighting and shall cover a large part of heating demand through thermal solar collectors. The large-scale collectors, specially developed for use in trade and commercial area, are designed to work in bivalent air / water mode and thus make additional use of lower irradiation possible. Long-term, comprehensive monitoring should provide information about the operation.

System

The patented concept of the solar thermal heating system was refined by the owner during many years of development work and has been implemented in 2006 on its own building. The solar façade (brand Unipower Pro) distinguishes the type of facade integration – mullion-transom integrated - as well as the construction of the absorber technology. Typically developed for industrial halls with a height of approx. 7m, the absorbers extend from ground floor to roof level in one piece. The individual absorbers are serially piped, collector fields are according to Tichelmann interconnected. The production halls are heated on the one hand via a thermally activated concrete base plate and additionally by solar air (bivalent operation). The type of integration allows the simultaneous use of daylight and ventilation. 

Architect

S+C Weyregg

Photography

Andreas Fettinger Fotografie, Timelkam