AEGIR was represented at the 14th International BUILDAIR Symposium, held from 16–17 May 2025 in Hannover, Germany. This edition of the conference focused on Airtight Buildings, Thermography, and Ventilation Systems in Practice.
During the event, project partner Fraunhofer contributed with a presentation by Sven Auerswald, titled “Assisted Routing of Facade-Integrated Ductwork.” In his talk, he introduced the first functional version of their design software for the automated routing of ductwork, which has been successfully tested at their reference building in Denmark and validation building in France.
For more information visit as well the Fraunhofer ISE AEGIR-project webpage.
A heartfelt thanks to Ursula Mellema and the entire team at the energie und umweltzentrum am deister for the excellent organization of the conference BUILDAIR Symposium!
This study enhances the EU’s AEGIR projects by creating a Python-based digital tool for deep retrofitting towards nearly zero energy buildings. The tool optimizes facade-integrated ventilation ductwork routes using routing algorithms and an objective function. Manual designs refine the routing domain, with constraints applied for implementing routing and genetic algorithms. Demonstration building data reveals the complexity needed for tool development. Key attributes of start- and endpoints, along with path search domains and constraints, are outlined. The A*-algorithm is chosen for its effective pathfinding. Optimization focuses on minimizing pressure loss for energy efficiency. Combining A*- and genetic algorithms, the study automates ductwork design, balancing efficiency with cost-effectiveness. The framework replicates manual ductwork routes in less complex sections, significantly cutting design time. However, genetic algorithms may produce slightly different solutions for the same problem. In summary, the framework improves facade-integrated ductwork design reproduction and reduces design time, with future enhancements planned to add constraints, improve robustness across different topologies, and enable import-export functionality for building model information.
