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Back to Knowledge Hub24.04.2026
Serial renovation is considered one of the most important levers for modernising existing building stock quickly, economically and at scale. Prefabrication, standardised processes and short construction times make it particularly attractive for housing companies and planners.
However, one aspect is often underestimated in many concepts: ventilation.
Especially in highly insulated and airtight buildings, it determines whether a project works in the long term or leads to problems. This article explains how serial renovation works and why ventilation must be considered from the outset.
Serial renovation describes the energy-efficient refurbishment of existing buildings using prefabricated building elements. These primarily include façade and roof elements that are industrially produced and installed on site within a short time.
The goal is to make refurbishment faster, more predictable and consistently high in quality.
In short: serial renovation transfers principles from industrial construction to energy-efficient building refurbishment.
In conventional refurbishment, many work steps are carried out sequentially on site. This often leads to:
Serial renovation shifts a large part of these processes into production. This results in:
The core principle is based on standardised modules:
These elements are manufactured to fit precisely and installed on site. This reduces intervention time on the building to a minimum.
For planners, this means:
The building sector is under significant transformation pressure. A large proportion of existing buildings are energy inefficient and generate high CO₂ emissions. Traditional renovation approaches are too slow, too expensive and too inefficient to meet climate targets.
Serial renovation addresses exactly this challenge. Standardised processes and industrial prefabrication make it possible to upgrade large building stocks to modern energy standards in a short time.
For planners, this creates a clear advantage:
Renovation becomes a scalable system rather than an individual project.
A key challenge in the construction industry is the shortage of qualified labour. At the same time, requirements for speed and efficiency are increasing.
Serial renovation significantly reduces complex on-site processes:
This leads to significantly improved feasibility, especially for large residential portfolios.
The main advantage of serial renovation lies in repeatability. Buildings with similar structures can be refurbished using the same system solutions.
Typical examples:
This scalability leads to:
At this point, the integration of building services becomes crucial. Only when all systems—including ventilation—are considered and standardised can serial renovation fully deliver its potential.
The façade is the central element of serial renovation. Prefabricated façade modules combine multiple functions:
Industrial production ensures precise elements that only need to be installed on site, significantly reducing construction time and ensuring consistent quality.
For planners, a key advantage is that the building envelope is treated as a system rather than a sequence of individual measures.
The roof is also often implemented as a prefabricated module:
Particularly in extensions or full refurbishments, the roof offers additional potential for energy generation and increased living space.
The biggest challenge lies in integrating building services. While façade and roof can be standardised relatively easily, building services require precise interface planning.
This includes:
In many projects, building services are still considered too late—this is where major problems arise.
A highly insulated and airtight building envelope fundamentally changes building physics.
Without coordinated systems, risks include:
Therefore, building services—especially ventilation—must be an integral part of serial renovation from the beginning.
Serial renovation leads to highly insulated and almost airtight building envelopes. While this is desirable from an energy perspective, it fundamentally changes physical conditions.
Natural air exchange through leaks is almost completely eliminated.
Without planned ventilation:
Key takeaway: The better the building envelope, the more essential controlled ventilation becomes.
Ventilation is therefore not optional—it is a core component of any serial renovation.
To function within serial concepts, ventilation systems must meet clearly defined requirements:
Only if these requirements are met can ventilation be effectively integrated into serial renovation concepts.
In practice, ventilation is often considered too late or insufficiently:
This leads to:
Rule of thumb: If ventilation is not part of the serial system, it becomes a problem.
| Requirement | Relevance in serial renovation |
|---|---|
| Modularity | Systems must be compatible with standardized façade or building modules |
| Ease of installation | Fast installation without complex on-site construction processes |
| Sound insulation | High requirements, especially in urban environments |
| Energy efficiency | Minimization of ventilation heat losses through heat recovery |
| Low maintenance | Suitable for large building portfolios with minimal operational effort |
Decentralised ventilation systems are particularly suitable because they do not require complex air ducts and can be integrated directly into individual units.
Key advantages:
Heat recovery (HRV) is a key component of modern ventilation systems. It ensures that a large portion of heat from exhaust air is retained and reused.
Benefits:
The greatest potential lies in integrating ventilation directly into serial building elements.
This means:
Advantages:
Key takeaway: The best solution is not retrofitted ventilation, but fully integrated systems from the start.
Modular systems align perfectly with serial renovation logic:
Especially important in occupied buildings:
Modern systems offer:
Serial renovation is supported through government programmes such as BEG (Federal Funding for Efficient Buildings).
Eligible measures include:
Important: Ventilation is assessed as part of an overall energy concept.
Key factors:
Ventilation plays a crucial role here: integrated solutions improve overall project efficiency.
Serial renovation is more than a construction method—it is a system approach combining planning, execution and technology.
Ventilation plays a central role:
Without a well-designed ventilation concept, efficient renovation quickly becomes a technical risk.
Key insight: Serial renovation only works when planned holistically—and ventilation is a key component, not a detail.
Decentralised ventilation systems with high sound insulation, easy installation and heat recovery (HRV) offer clear advantages. They integrate seamlessly into façade modules and enable standardised, cost-efficient implementation.
For planners, this means fewer interface issues, greater planning reliability and technically robust solutions.
For further reading, it is worth exploring existing technical articles that examine specific aspects of ventilation in renovation projects in more detail and provide practical guidance for planning.
A good starting point is the article ventilation solutions for renovation, which explains the fundamental role of ventilation in existing buildings and outlines typical challenges and practical solution approaches. In addition, the article retrofit ventilation systems: centralised, decentralised or hybrid solutions shows which systems can be effectively and economically integrated into existing buildings – a key aspect for serial renovation concepts as well.
Contact
We provide architects and technical planners tailored solutions to address every ventilation challenge with precision. Whether it is sound insulation, energy efficiency, or optimising facade aesthetics, our expert technical teams are equipped to provide you with the ideal solutions.
With Ventomaxx, you gain access to comprehensive hybrid ventilation concepts that seamlessly combine passive and active systems from a single, trusted source. Our mission is to improve indoor air quality in the most efficient way.
We provide architects and technical planners tailored solutions to address every ventilation challenge with precision. Whether it is sound insulation,
energy efficiency, or optimising facade aesthetics, our expert technical teams are equipped to provide you with the ideal solutions.
With Ventomaxx, you gain access to comprehensive hybrid ventilation concepts that seamlessly combine passive and active systems from a single, trusted source. Our mission is to improve indoor air quality in the most efficient way.
