Energy renovation of buildings at the Verviers Polytechnic School

Project: Energy renovation of buildings at the Verviers Polytechnic School
Architect: Canevas - Architecture et ingénierie

Programme: The project is part of the Renowatt framework. The scope involves the renovation of 13 out of 15 school buildings on the site to improve their energy performance.The buildings accommodate various uses: student dormitories, classrooms, auditorium, cafeteria/restaurant, meeting rooms, and administrative offices.
The project covers:
-insulation of the exterior façades;
-insulation of the roofs;
-replacement of single-glazed frames with high-performance double-glazed (HR) aluminium frames;
-renovation of the boiler rooms with installation of gas heat pumps;
-renovation of the boiler manifolds;
-installation of 150 kWc photovoltaic panels.

About: The "Internat" building's architecture is typical of the 1960s: load-bearing concrete structure (columns and beams) expressed on the main façades, modular façades, large steel frames, precast concrete and bluish-grey cement tile cladding, rubble stone base, etc.
The building consists of two volumes differentiated by offsets and varying glazing proportions.
The project envelops the building from ground floor to +6 level with insulation and fibre-cement cladding in a grey-beige tone similar to the existing concrete, to preserve the building's character. The cladding layout respects the building's modular appearance. The rubble stone base is retained for its durability in a school environment.
Single-glazed joinery is replaced with double-glazed aluminium frames, with glazed spandrels to bring maximum light into the building interior while maintaining the current appearance.
The dormitory room frames are recent and thus retained; their blue spandrels are covered with sheeting matching the frame profiles' colour. After installing the new façade system, the retained in-place frames have deep reveals, which are therefore lined with white lacquered sheet metal to reflect maximum light into the rooms.
To introduce colour and create a changing perception of the building depending on the viewpoint, certain reveals are coloured to form a random pattern on the façade. This colour play softens the strict, repetitive aspect of the façades.
The main entrance is treated with aluminium lacquered cladding in the same tone as the frames (canopy and vertical wall).