Dealing with existing buildings is more necessary today than it was a few years ago and will become an urgent building task for architects. The mathematics building of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology was architecturally and energetically renovated taking into account the existing building stock. After its renovation, the post-war building has half the energy consumption and twice the usable floor space.
The room and building concept of the conversion is intended to improve communication and the exchange of ideas among the students. The bright, roofed atrium forms the communicative centre and is at the same time the centre of the low-energy concept. It generates a heat buffer that minimises energy loss in winter and ensures a pleasantly cool indoor climate in summer.