From ruin to zero-energy house

You are standing in front of a 350 years old traditional farmhouse in the Grisons in the Swiss Alps, which today is its own powerhouse. FELIX PARTNER Architektur und Design have sustainably renovated the building between 2018 and 2020. A heat pump with five geothermal probes provides heating energy, solar collectors and a photovoltaic system on the roof produce hot water and clean power. The carbon-neutral energy thus generated, covers the complete annual consumption of the building, in winter using excess energy that has been stored in the rocks with geothermal probes during the summer. This project impressively shows how an old listed property can be turned into a zero-energy house while at the same time preserving its historical structure. For this pioneering solution the project was awarded, among other things, with the European solar prize in December 2020.