Our services at the European Patent Office

BIM

As pde, we supported the PORR Group throughout the entire execution phase and successfully implemented three key BIM use cases:

• As-built documentation: All documents were continuously updated to reflect the current status of the plans, resulting in complete and standard-compliant documentation of the actual structure.
• Quality assurance & collision control: Monthly data deliveries to the overall planner and client (including RVT and IFC models) as well as detailed collision reports ensured smooth and precise construction.

• Highly detailed as-built model: All information was entered using a defined parameter list and assigned unique IDs to enable clear assignment to the corresponding elements. The final model was ultimately delivered at LOD 400 level of detail, ensuring a high degree of accuracy and depth of detail.

The result: a digital representation of the building that guarantees the highest quality and transparency – and thus made a decisive contribution to the successful completion of the project.

Sustainability

The European Patent Office in Vienna also demonstrates what is possible in sustainable construction today: thanks to its own green electricity generation, the renovated building produces more energy than it consumes – making it CO₂-negative. We at pde supported the PORR Group on its way to achieving the desired BREEAM ‘Excellent’ certification and EMAS registration. Our experts carried out a comprehensive analysis and assessment of all relevant environmental aspects:

• Energy and water consumption
• Material use and material output, including CO₂ equivalents
• Waste streams and recycling rates

All emissions were transparently documented using specific conversion factors and substantiated with reliable references – the basis for the EMAS environmental statement.

Another milestone: a CO₂ upper limit per component was defined as early as the planning phase. The targeted product selection process saved around 121,000 kg of CO₂ – a decisive step towards a CO₂-neutral building.

Timber construction

The renovation of the European Patent Office in Vienna is also a showcase project for modern and sustainable timber construction. Together with the PORR Group, our timber construction team and our sustainability experts oversaw the tendering, awarding and construction phases, transforming an existing building into a climate-positive office.

The highlights of the project:

• Wood-steel-concrete hybrid construction: Efficient combination of existing structures with modern timber construction elements.

• Gutting & structural reinforcement: Complete demolition down to the load-bearing skeleton and targeted reinforcement of the existing structure.
• Modern timber façade: Curtain-type, pre-greyed timber elements – including integrated photovoltaic modules.

• PV pergola construction: Glass and PV modules that generate additional energy and add architectural accents.

  We are proud to have made a lasting mark on this flagship project – a powerful example of climate-friendly construction in existing buildings.