Hego Höfe
Hego Höfe shows how a necessary renovation can become a powerful architectural and energy-driven transformation. Located in Mönchengladbach, the former industrial site, partly more than 100 years old, has been given a new identity through the replacement of its outdated 1970s street-facing façade with an integrated solar façade.
The project
Rather than treating photovoltaics as a technical add-on, the façade itself was designed as an energy-generating building element. With 328 Pixasolar PV modules, an installed surface of approximately 1,266 m² and a capacity of around 70 kWp, the façade is expected to generate around 70,000 kWh per year. The result is a clean, contemporary building envelope that improves the site’s appearance while actively contributing to its energy performance.
Project snapshot
Sector
Commercial / mixed-use
Location
Mönchengladbach, Germany
Application
Façade
Panel style
Glass-integrated PV / dark glass BIPV panels
Cell type
Pixasolar Black Series A & B
Installed area / Capacity
1,266 m²
Mounting
Frameless
Certifications & compliance
IEC 61215-1:2021, EN IEC 61730-1:2018/AC:2018-06, IEC 63092-1:2020
The challenge
Hego Höfe needed more than a cosmetic façade upgrade. The former industrial site in Mönchengladbach had an outdated 1970s street-facing façade that no longer matched the ambition of the redevelopment. The challenge was to renew the building’s identity while adding long-term value, improving energy performance and respecting the technical constraints of an existing structure.
Architectural/design drivers
- Turn a dated, street-facing façade into a defining visual identity for the entire site.
- Integrate the BIPV system as part of the architecture, rather than as a technical add-on.
- Create visual order through rhythm, proportion and material coherence.
- Align the PV module layout with the existing structure, so the solar façade feels native to the building.
- Use dark glass panels to create a calm, contemporary architectural expression.
- Maintain visual continuity through careful detailing around edges, transitions, signage and non-active façade zones.
- Communicate renewal and sustainability without compromising architectural quality.
Technical constraints
- Work with the constraints of the existing building, rather than a new-build structure.
- Assess, anchor and reinforce the 1970s exposed aggregate concrete panels before installing the BIPV system.
- Manage irregular existing surfaces, unknown tolerances and limited structural flexibility.
- Use a full 3D LiDAR scan to map the elevation with precision.
- Design a substructure that could compensate millimetre by millimetre.
- Create a clean, flush final façade despite the uneven existing surface.
- Integrate mounting, electrical requirements and load transfer into the existing structure.
Business case
- Solve two challenges with one investment: renew an outdated façade and create an energy-generating building envelope.
- Turn the façade from a cost item into a long-term operational asset.
- Deliver around 70 kWp of installed capacity.
- Generate approximately 70,000 kWh per year.
- Cover nearly half of the building’s annual power consumption.
- Contribute directly to lower energy costs over time.
- Increase long-term value through improved energy performance and architectural renewal.
- Use the building’s highly visible location as an additional return: a public statement of sustainability, innovation and commercial confidence.
Pixasolar solution
Pixasolar delivered an integrated BIPV façade that turns the building envelope into an energy-generating surface. Instead of applying solar technology as a separate layer, the PV modules were designed as part of the architecture. With dark glass-integrated panels, precise detailing and a layout aligned with the building’s rhythm, the façade became both visually coherent and technically productive. The new façade gives Hego Höfe a contemporary, high-quality appearance while generating renewable electricity directly on site.
- Pixasolar delivered an integrated BIPV façade that turns the building envelope into an energy-generating surface.
- The PV modules were not applied as a separate technical layer, but designed as part of the architecture.
- Dark glass-integrated panels create a clean, contemporary façade expression.
- Precise detailing and a layout aligned with the building’s rhythm make the façade visually coherent.
- The result is a façade that is both architecturally refined and technically productive.
What is solved?
Energy performance without visual compromise
A stronger business case for renovation
Public visibility with real impact
The results
“I mostly appreciated that the team truly believed in the concept and kept the project moving.”
Marcel Klotz
Pixasolar called me when the first talks on site started: What’s possible, what’s realistic?”
Erik Reich
“What stood out in practice was Pixasolar’s flexibility.”