Reopening as a Low-Carbon Building After Remodeling on the 16th with New High-Efficiency HVAC, Heat Exchanger, Restrooms, and Stair Railings... Creating a Senior-Friendly Environment Reflecting Feedback from Previous Senior Center Site Visits
Yongsan-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Park Hee-young) held an opening ceremony on the 16th to reopen the 2nd Senior Center located in Ichon 1-dong as a low-carbon building.
Since last year, the district has been promoting a project to convert aging senior centers that have been in use for more than 15 years after completion into low-carbon buildings. This is to improve the energy efficiency of old public buildings in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The first target, the 2nd Senior Center in Ichon 1-dong, is over 50 years old. Due to poor insulation performance, it was difficult to protect the elderly from heatwaves and cold waves, and the aging internal facilities raised concerns about safety accidents.
Accordingly, remodeling design reflecting the building energy efficiency rating 1++ standard and energy efficiency simulation procedures were carried out, and construction began last October.
High-efficiency heating and cooling systems and heat exchangers were newly installed to effectively reduce energy consumption. Insulation materials and high-insulation, high-air-tightness windows were applied to the exterior walls and roof to enhance the building's insulation performance.
After remodeling, energy efficiency improved by about 62%, transforming from the existing building energy efficiency grade 2 to the zero-energy building standard of level 1++.
In particular, the senior center that completed construction this time reflected the opinions of the elderly gathered during a site visit by Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, last year. Facility improvements such as restrooms, stair railings, and the installation of emergency exits were carried out with consideration for the convenience and safety of the elderly.
This year, remodeling work to convert Cheongsim Senior Center in Wonhyo-ro 2-dong into a low-carbon building is planned.
Mayor Park Hee-young said, “We proceeded with the remodeling after fully listening to and reflecting the opinions of the elderly. While carrying out the low-carbon senior center conversion project, we also worked on facility improvements to create a better environment for the elderly in various ways.”
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