Develop existing buildings on solid ground: see the risks before the purchase contract is signed.
Sustainabim plans and oversees the renovation, energy upgrading and further development of historic buildings — for residential developers, project developers and portfolio owners who don’t want to demolish buildings, but to take them further.
Tell us about your building. We reply within two working days — in case of acute damage, please call us directly.
- Over 12 years of experience
- Over 50 period-building projects
- Over 100 building owners supported
- DGNB Consultant and Auditor
- BIM Manager and Coordinator
What does an engineering office for existing buildings do?
Sustainabim surveys the fabric of existing buildings in Dresden, Germany, plans their renovation and oversees it through to handover — from opening up a building element to structural design, energy upgrading and site management. We establish what can be kept before we design. Demolition is the last option, not the first.
Three perspectives on the same building stock.
Every client group asks an old building different questions — we answer them with the same understanding of its fabric.
Residential developers
You convert existing buildings into housing. We deliver reliable fabric analyses and planning certainty before construction begins.
Services for residential developers →Project developers
You assess properties before you buy. We deliver feasibility studies that reveal the risks before the purchase contract is signed.
Services for project developers →Portfolio owners
You manage a building portfolio over decades. We plan maintenance that preserves value instead of merely reacting to damage.
Services for portfolio owners →From fabric analysis to site management.
Eight fields — each can be commissioned on its own or as a complete process.
Building survey & fabric analysis
Before we plan, we understand: we open up building elements where it matters, measure moisture and salt contamination and compile a register of hazardous materials. The result is a reliable basis for every further decision.
- Opening up building elements & condition assessment
- Moisture, salt and hazardous material measurements
- Brief assessment of the building’s history
Digital survey & BIM model
We capture the building with millimetre precision by 3D laser scan and develop a BIM model from it. Instead of contradictory old drawings, everyone involved works from a reliable digital basis — for design, tendering and later operation.
- 3D laser scan & point cloud of the existing building
- BIM model at the agreed level of detail (LOD)
- Derived drawings: floor plans, sections, elevations
- Deformation-accurate survey for design and tendering
Structural engineering for existing buildings
Historic timber joists, masonry vaults and foundations that have settled over a century follow different rules than new-build structures. We provide structural calculations for replacing floors, converting attics and redistributing loads that stand up to the building authority.
- Structural calculations for conversions & additional storeys
- Assessment of existing load-bearing elements
- Coordination with the independent structural checking engineer
Energy renovation
A façade worth preserving cannot take a standard external insulation system. We develop internal insulation concepts, weigh repair against replacement for windows honestly and provide proof of compliance with the German Building Modernisation Act (GModG) without putting the building fabric at risk.
- U-value optimisation for each building element
- Internal insulation concepts for façades worth preserving
- GModG compliance & advice on subsidies
DGNB consulting for existing buildings
Building quality becomes verifiable once it is certified against fixed criteria. We guide existing buildings through the DGNB system (German Sustainable Building Council) — from the first assessment of potential through documentation to submission, aligned with what is realistically achievable in an existing building.
- Potential analysis & target level (Bronze to Platinum)
- Support as DGNB Consultant, audit by a DGNB Auditor
- Documentation of evidence throughout the project
- Integration with the energy concept and subsidies
Heritage protection & preservation of fabric
We coordinate measures directly with the heritage authorities, use renovation plaster systems according to the WTA guidelines and repair timber framing and natural stone professionally — without diluting the historic character.
- Coordination with the heritage protection authority
- Renovation plaster & dehumidification concepts according to WTA
- Repair of timber framing & natural stone
Floor plan & use concepts
Conversion into residential units, dividing large floors, sound insulation between households: we develop floor plans that genuinely work in an existing building — including reduced barriers where it makes sense.
- Conversion & subdivision concepts
- Proof of sound insulation between units
- Low-barrier access
Project management & site supervision
Tendering, contract award, cost control and site supervision through to acceptance — with one point of contact who keeps an eye on every trade and spots risks in the existing building early.
- Tendering & contract award
- Cost & schedule control
- Site supervision & acceptance
Renovate or demolish?
Three questions we answer together before making any recommendation.
Can the fabric carry the intended use?
Only the building survey shows whether floors, walls and foundations can take the new loads at all.
What does heritage protection really require?
Not every requirement is an obstacle — it often unlocks subsidies that make demolition uneconomical.
Where is the economic break-even?
We compare renovation and new-build costs over 20 years — including energy, subsidy and permit scenarios.
Five phases, one point of contact.
From the first site visit to final acceptance, we coordinate every trade.
Building survey
On-site analysis, opening up building elements, documenting the current condition.
Feasibility & concept
Options, cost framework, an initial check of what can be permitted.
Permits & design
Detailed design, coordination with the authorities and heritage protection.
Construction & site management
Tendering, cost control, supervision of all trades on site.
Handover & aftercare
Acceptance, documentation, a point of contact for the years that follow.
Ready to rethink your existing building?
Tell us about your building: form, email and phone for the engineering office in Dresden. We reply within two working days; in case of acute damage, please call.