Palazzo Grassi – where culture meets sustainability

The project: Palazzo Grassi, an 18th century Venetian palace

The Palazzo Grassi is one of Venice’s most famous buildings. The three-storey structure from the 18th century stands directly on the Canal Grande. It was created by architect Giorgio Massari in the transitional style between Late Baroque and Classicism. He was commissioned by the Grassi family.

Today, the impressive building houses a renowned museum of contemporary art. The exhibits belong to the French entrepreneur and collector François-Henri Pinault who bought the building in 2006.

An energy analysis revealed that the palace’s energy consumption was enormous, making energy optimisation measures absolutely necessary. The task was to install state-of-the art equipment for heating, air-conditioning, water and sanitation systems. Technology designed to meet the demands of maximum energy efficiency and environmental friendliness.

The challenge: Cutting-edge technology in an old building

The challenge was to significantly reduce energy consumption in the Palazzo Grassi – and thus save costs – by using efficient and environmentally friendly pumps and valves.

The solution: A complete range of technology and expertise covering all systems

To meet the specific requirements of the Palazzo Grassi, KSB supplied a complete range of pumps and valves for heating, air-conditioning, water and sanitation systems. This comprised 131 shut-off and control valves, 24 swing check valves, 29 strainers, 45 expansion joints and 5 Etabloc pumps.

The main criterion was the high efficiency of the pumps driven by KSB SuPremE IE5* motors. The magnet-less pump drive impresses with high efficiency in all load ranges, enabling maximum energy savings.

All pumps were also fitted with a PumpDrive variable speed system and PumpMeter pump monitoring unit. In addition to installing these new pumps, KSB carried out maintenance of some of the older pumps.

The project took eight months from its start in July 2015, with the products being delivered in November 2015 and final completion in February 2016.

The bottom line: KSB’s solution has enabled a substantial reduction (30 %) in energy consumption

30 % lower energy costs thanks to KSB solutions

Data I Facts I Figures

Location: Venedig

Application: Building Services

Project: Maintenance of older pumps, installation of KSB pumps and valves

Duration: July 2015 to February 2016 (8 months)

KSB Products used: Pumps and valves for heating, air-conditioning, water and sanitation systems✓ Energy-efficient & sustainable ✓ 30 % energy reductions

Commissioned: February 2016