close

Campus - 07.01.2021 - 00:00 

Prix Watt d’Or for the building at Rosenbergstrasse 30 in St.Gallen

The Swiss Federal Office of Energy has conferred the prestigious Swiss energy award Watt d’Or for the fourteenth time. One of the five winning projects is the office building at Rosenbergstrasse 30, owned by Mettiss AG and leased by the University of St.Gallen.

7 January 2020. The aim of the Watt d’Or is to publicize exceptional achievements in the energy sector. It serves to motivate business, politics and the general public to discover the benefits of innovative energy technologies for themselves. According to the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, 64 applications for the 2021 Watt d’Or were submitted and evaluated by a team of experts. Twenty-four entries were nominated for the final round, from which the jury selected the winning projects in the four Watt d’Or categories. There were two winners in the Buildings and Space category this year, with one of the prizes going to the building at Rosenbergstrasse 30 in St.Gallen.

From an energy guzzler to a passive house

“Most of Switzerland’s older buildings waste energy wholesale. Energy refurbishment costs a lot of money, takes a long time, and the complicated services technology confuses building owners. In St.Gallen there is a newly refurbished office building from the sixties which dispels such thoughts completely”, according to the appraisal of the winning project. Engineer Beat Kegel’s energy concept – referred to as “Kegels Regel” (Kegel’s Rule) for short – was implemented in the building together with the St.Gallen real estate company Mettiss AG.

The refurbishment was realised rapidly and cost-effectively and the building now easily meets the passive house standard. This is due to a cost-effective low-tech heating and ventilation system incorporated in prefabricated parapet elements and connector fans in the doors. The Swiss Federal Office of Energy goes on to say “The new occupant, the University of St.Gallen, is very pleased with the climate in the rooms and the energy costs,” adding: “Kegel’s Rule could catch on in the refurbishment of further office buildings as well as in residential construction and new builds.”

Watt d’Or trophy is a snow globe

The Watt d’Or trophy – a snow globe – was presented to the winners at the Kursaal congress centre in Bern. The award ceremony took place on a very small scale due to the pandemic. The Watt d’Or is not endowed, so no prize money is distributed. As the tenant of the office building, the University of St.Gallen received a certificate.

To make the concept better known, Mettiss AG has produced the short documentary film Kegel’s Regel (German).

Photo: Beat Kegel and Michael Mettler, managers of Mettiss AG (from left to right)

Discover our special topics

north