€23 Million Project in Hagen: Germany's Largest Cooperative Serial Renovation
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€23 Million Project in Hagen: Germany's Largest Cooperative Serial Renovation
Berlin, March 31, 2026 – Wohnungsverein Hagen and the Berlin-based company ecoworks are implementing the largest cooperative serial renovation project in Germany to date. In the Hagen-Helfe district, a total of twelve residential buildings are undergoing extensive energy modernization through serial renovation measures, representing an investment volume of 23 million euros. The goal is to upgrade the 192 apartments to the KfW Efficiency House 55 (EH 55) standard and achieve net-zero greenhouse gas building operations.
Industrial Prefabrication Instead of Years of Construction
The twelve buildings, dating from 1966, comprise a living area of around 15,000 square meters. As part of the serial renovation, components such as facade elements are industrially prefabricated. This drastically reduces construction time on-site and significantly minimizes the burden on tenants while they remain in their homes.
"Energy-efficient modernizations are the key to a CO₂-neutral building stock," explains Sebastian Greese, Managing Director of Wohnungsverein Hagen eG. "By using serial renovation from ecoworks, we are consistently implementing our sustainability strategy in the Helfe quarter. This allows us to make our portfolio fit for the future and tangibly reduce both CO₂ emissions and heating costs for our tenants."
Climate-Neutral Apartments with Affordable Rents
"This flagship project involving twelve buildings demonstrates the enormous potential of serial renovation for the decarbonization of the building sector," says Emanuel Heisenberg, founder and CEO of ecoworks. "Through our extremely high degree of prefabrication, we make the efficient, rapid, and climate-neutral transformation of the housing industry scalable. Together with Wohnungsverein Hagen, we are proving once again that entire quarters can undergo energy-efficient serial renovation in record time."
Details of the Serial Renovation Measures:
- Thermal Building Envelope: The buildings are receiving industrially prefabricated timber-frame facade modules. Insulation, windows, and electric roller shutters are integrated at the factory.
- Roof & PV System: The flat roofs are being re-insulated and sealed. A high-performance photovoltaic system feeds the generated electricity entirely into the grid.
- Living Comfort: Significantly larger, covered prefabricated balconies are replacing the original loggias.
- Building Services: The central district heating supply remains in place. In addition, decentralized exhaust fans and supply air openings in the windows ensure an optimal indoor climate.
Approximately 75 percent of residential buildings in Germany are in need of energy-efficient renovation, yet the current renovation rate is below one percent per year. Serial renovation can significantly increase this rate, reduce costs, and provide sufficient affordable housing more quickly.
Measurable Success: 36 Percent Reduction in Final Energy Demand
The project's final energy demand is expected to drop by 36 percent. Through the serial renovation of the building envelope combined with local electricity generation via PV systems, nearly 190 tons of CO₂ emissions will be saved annually across the entire quarter. This balance makes the Helfe 1 quarter a pioneering flagship project for climate-neutral building operations.
The Helfe quarter thus becomes a landmark project for climate-neutral building operations—demonstrating that the German government's ambitious climate targets in the building sector can be implemented economically in the cooperative housing industry through industrial renovation methods.
Learn more about the project here: https://www.ecoworks.tech/en/projekt/hagen-helfe
About Wohnungsverein Hagen eG
For nearly 125 years, Wohnungsverein Hagen has provided its members with good, safe, and socially responsible housing. With a portfolio of around 6,000 apartments, 80 commercial units, and 2,200 garages and parking spaces in Hagen and Breckerfeld, the cooperative is a strong anchor in the region. A dedicated team of around 50 employees takes care of management and the needs of approximately 7,300 cooperative members daily. Through continuous high investments of over 16 million euros annually in its own housing stock, Wohnungsverein actively drives the energy and technical standards of its buildings. Its clear goal: to create sustainable living and future-proof "favorite places" for all generations.
Contact Wohnungsverein Hagen eG
Wohnungsverein Hagen eG
Humpertstr. 6
58097 Hagen
team_zentrale@wohnungsverein.de
About ecoworks
ecoworks is the partner for the housing industry for affordable energy-efficient renovation. As a general contractor, ecoworks supports housing companies—from small cooperatives to large housing groups—from the initial idea to mass-market serial implementation. Serial renovation shifts 80% of the value creation from the construction site to the factory. As the pioneer and innovation leader for serial renovation in Germany, the company plans, designs, and installs facade and roof elements to renovate multi-family houses to a NetZero standard within a few weeks. The Berlin-based company developed the technology in Germany and is currently bringing it to the mass market with several projects. ecoworks is considered one of the most innovative providers of climate technology in the building sector worldwide. The medium-sized company is currently working on more than 20 serial renovation projects across Germany.
Contact Communication ecoworks
ecoworks GmbH
Lübecker Str. 1-2
10559 Berlin
www.ecoworks.tech
Press Inquiries:
presse@ecoworks.tech
https://www.ecoworks.tech/presse
