A large, whitewashed, historic building with sandstone arches above the windows and a tower.

Energy-efficient renovation of the retirement home in Gampelen with Fixit 222 Aerogel

History

Renovation concept​​​​​​​

Result

Historic, white-plastered nursing home in Gampelen with square tower and sandstone elements on edges and windows

La casa di riposo e di cura di Gampelen è stata ristrutturata dal punto di vista energetico con Fixit 222 Aerogel.

The former manor house from the 17th century in Gampelen BE was renovated for energy efficiency in order to reduce heating energy consumption and fundamentally increase the comfort of the residents in the rooms, which had previously been rather cool despite being heated.

Thanks to the use of Fixit 222 Aerogel high-performance insulating plaster, it was possible to preserve the historic appearance of the retirement home while reducing the consumption of heating energy and improving the indoor climate. 

The eventful past of the manor house in Gampelen BE to the present day

The patrician house in the Bernese Seeland was built in 1653 by Franz Ludwig Steiger. From 1920, the building was converted into a cidery until the entire building fell victim to a fire in 1969. 

The owner at the time, Henri Meuret, rebuilt the manor house after the fire – albeit not in its original form – and used it as a clinic. At the same time, the building was raised by one storey and the beautiful magnificent arches were rebuilt to provide the patients with more light and sun. According to the owner, this improved the healing process of the patients. 

In 1984, the building was converted into another retirement home, this time by Kurt Lehmann. In 2017, work began on energy-efficient renovation and an extension to the building was also planned and constructed.

Although the manor house is not a listed building, its design and history mean that it is categorised as a building worthy of preservation in the context of townscape protection and therefore could not be changed at will during the renovation measures.

Carrying out the renovation work with Fixit 222 Aerogel high-performance insulating plaster

As the renovation concept was designed as a holistic refurbishment in accordance with SIA 380/1, the façade could be insulated in the individually possible layer thickness without the need for an individual U-value certificate. 

In order to be able to carry out the energy-efficient renovation with Fixit 222 Aerogel high-performance insulating plaster correctly, the first step was to dismantle the entire plastered façade down to the outer walls. As a result, the four centimetres of depth required for the insulating plaster application were gained in order to ensure an efficient insulating effect of the Fixit 222 Aerogel without later protruding beyond the sandstone elements with the plaster application.

Detailed view of the long façade of the white plastered mansion in Gampelen with sandstone window surrounds and decorative arches on the top floor.

The quoins and window surrounds made of sandstone could be retained without any problems thanks to the use of insulating plaster instead of insulating panels. However, they were moved slightly outwards to allow a clean plaster finish at the edges. 

Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide an exact comparison of the heating energy with and without Fixit 222 Aerogel high-performance insulation, as the addition of the new building means that the heated living and working areas are of different sizes. However, it can be said that the consumption of heating energy has not increased – despite the addition of the new building. This shows that the heating requirement has been significantly reduced.

The energy-efficient renovation is a success – the interiors have become warmer and cosier

The head of the care home confirms that the residents now feel much more comfortable in the rooms. The climate is now pleasant in summer and winter, the draughts from the outside walls are no longer noticeable and the inside temperature on the outside walls is now only slightly lower than the air temperature in the room. 

The energy-efficient renovation was therefore a complete success: heating costs were reduced and the well-being of all residents improved.

The square, white plastered tower with decorative elements on the edges made of sandstone and a small, historic balcony.
Interior with wooden flooring, staircase and historic beam structure from the Madiswil mill, and white plastered walls with internal insulation made from Fixit 222 aerogel insulating plaster.

Fixit 222 Aerogel – tried and tested

The innovative Fixit 222 Aerogel high-performance insulating plaster has been in use for more than a decade. In 2013, the quality and durability of the product was monitored and tested in parallel in a long-term test. Find out more!

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Historic apartment building with white plastered and insulated façade made of Fixit 222 aerogel high-performance insulating plaster.

Fixit 222 Aerogel

Extremely effective insulating material, as excellent insulation values are achieved with just 4 to 6 centimetres of the light and airy insulating plaster. This makes the render perfect for the energy-efficient renovation of historic buildings.

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