Heating/cooling with geothermal energy using absorber diaphragm walls with enercret installation Modern companies need optimal workplaces for their staff. A pleasant climate is a major factor contributing towards well-being and performance. - Completion: 2001 - Useful area: 17 floors, 9,500 m² office space - Heating capacity: 600 kW - Annual heating capacity: 630,000 kWh - Cooling capacity: 400 kW - 'Free cooling' capacity: 250 kW - Annual 'free cooling' capacity: 220,000 kWh - Client: EA-Generali AG, Vienna - A - Architect: Arch. Prof. Hollein, Vienna - A - Building services consultant: Allplan GmbH, Vienna - A enercret installation: - Absorber diaphragm wall: Length 204m, depth 25m, wall thickness 80cm - Absorber system in diaphragm wall: 50,000 linear metres of HDPE piping 25/2.3mm Glass architecture - room climate: The design of a building and the quality of the workplaces are an expression of corporate culture. Open buildings create an atmosphere of transparency and are conducive to a open, congenial and creative work style. Designing the space conditioning systems for this kind of building makes greater demands on the expertise of the consultants. Room climate - work performance: The importance of a pleasant room climate has been demonstrated by an international study. If work performance is taken to be 100 per cent at a room temperature of 20 °C, for example, then performance already drops to 60 per cent at 25 °C. It is also possible to calculate the financial benefits taking the example of an office building housing 200 employees where the temperature is 5 degrees higher than normal for 40 hours. Based on a standard total hourly rate of EUR 25 per employee and a 40 per cent reduction in performance during this period, this amounts to a loss of EUR 80,000.