Success Stories
29 Avr 2025 -
Asset managers & Investors/ Consultancies/ ESG / Sustainability managers/ Real estate consultants/ Office/ Switzerland/

FREO uses Optiml to model buildings accurately and develop energetic retrofitting scenarios

FREO reduces Capex spend in a deep renovation to help real estate clients towards a sustainable retrofit

GEAK CO2e F
-> A
Capex reduced
>30%
Oper. CO₂ reduced
>70%
Analysis time reduced
>80%
FREO’s journey with Optiml
Challenge

FREO CH S.à.r.l are an independent European investor, developer, and asset manager of high-quality commercial real estate. Before using Optiml, FREO faced several challenges:

  • Time-consuming and manual data collection and analysis of complex building renovations considering energy systems and efficiency
  • Difficulty to connect costing and energy simulation with innovative sustainable technologies
  • Modeling complex HVAC & shading systems while optimizing for minimum Capex

These inefficiencies slowed down the Capex and Decarbonization planning process by months, relying on manual feasibility studies, increased the risk of inaccurate projections, and made it difficult for FREO to achieve its goals. By implementing Optiml, FREO was able to go deep into the building and find measures to reduce Capex right away.

Solution

To address these challenges, FREO used Optiml to tackle the key issues of data inconsistency and detailed analysis to develop actionable component-level insights. The goal was to lower Capex vs. conventional approaches and lower CO2 emissions.

Optiml allowed FREO to:

  • Prove and detail initial building retrofitting scenarios as a verification and detailing of initial renovation measures and gain confidence to initiate retrofitting
  • Model the building (digital twin) in a faster and accurate manner in Rhino with Optiml’s “Integrated Planning” tier
  • Conduct energy simulations (EnergyPlus + SIA norms), and support FREO in providing different, detailed scenarios to compare trade-offs (e.g., district heating or not)

By implementing Optiml, FREO was able to execute the detailed development with more precise recommendations, and provide its end client with a reliable, more cost-effective, and sustainable retrofit for this asset.

Result

With Optiml, FREO achieved significant measurable improvements in efficiency, sustainability performance, and investment decision-making.

  • The overall concept was low-tech with intelligent architecture and minimized heating and cooling input, radically reduced energy consumption and emissions in construction and operation.
  • The replacement of the existing façade with a highly efficient façade, outside aluminum and natural clay inside, with ventilation sashes for natural yet controlled cross ventilation.
  • Renewable energy was installed with a Solar Photovoltaic (PV) system and Air-water heat pump
  • Energy efficiency measures such as low-energy advanced ventilation system, with minimal additional cooling and heating through reduced thermal ceiling panels combined with clay cladding, BMS system 
  • Sustainable materials: Bio-based and regenerative materials (e.g., clay) and timber framed windows (triple glazed)

Technical Success Story: FREO

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