Passive retrofitting of office buildings: the office project.

OFFICE is a research project partly funded by the CEC dealing with the passive retrofitting of office buildings to improve their energy performance and indoor working conditions. The project is coordinated by the University of Athens with the participation of organizations and research institutes from eight European countries. The aim of the project is to develop global retrofitting strategies, tools and design guidelines in order to promote successful and cost effective implementation of passive solar and energy efficient retrofitting measures to office buildings. Within the frame of the project, ten office buildings located in different climatic zones around Europe are studied extensively. Case studies are carried out for the selected buildings including energy audits and monitoring activities, specific experiments as well as an assessment of the potential of proposed retrofitting scenarios for each building, with regards to the issues of energy conservation and cost effectiveness. The final deliverables of the project are: a) Case studies presenting high quality examples of representative retrofitted office buildings in various parts of Europe b) a Rating Methodology classifying office buildings according to their energy consumption, C02 production and indoor thermal and visual comfort c) an Atlas describing the technical and economical potential for energy conservation of selected retrofitting scenarios for defined types of office buildings in different climatic zones of Europe and d) Design Guidelines, performance criteria and methodologies for best practice giving credit for renewable energy sources incorporated into office buildings, all presented in the form of a Handbook. Results from the assessment of° the potential of various retrofitting scenarios proposed for each case study  are included in the Handbook in the form of brochures. This paper gives an analytical description of the activities carried out within the frame of the project and describes the resulting final deliverables.