Climate-positive: Building Volksbank, Kirchheimbolanden, Germany

A regional branch of German bank Volksbank Alzey-Worms eG has been built in Kirchheimbolanden. A service center with a branch office and advisory bank was built on an area of 6,460 sf², offering customers and employees approx. 19,375 sf² of floor space. With the help of dynamic computer simulations and data relevant to the location, Transsolar contributed to the design of the building and to the selection of materials, ensuring pleasant temperatures in the rooms in summer and winter, good air quality, daylighting and good acoustics.

The orientation of the building and its design were fundamental to the energy concept: photovoltaics supplies the energy best when the panels are optimally aligned, and they capture the sunlight in the best possible way. The building is supplied with heat and cold from the underground via geothermal probes. Concrete core activation is used for both heating and cooling. Natural window ventilation is possible.

The low-tech climate concept, in conjunction with its efficiency and local, regenerative energy generation, achieves a positive annual balance. This means, on an annual average, the building generates more energy than it consumes.
This Volksbank branch is an excellent example of how a low-tech climate concept can ensure comfort for a modern building operation that is fit for the future.

Together with the client and the architects, we are very pleased that the branch received the "climate-positive" rating from the DGNB in autumn 2019.