Generally refurbishment activities are accompanied by uncertainties about the existing construction. Although the state of maintenance of the State and University Library was good, a large number of interventions in the existing HVAC systems had affected the efficiency of the ventilation system. These interventions had not been documented. For example when employees complained about a draft usually a piece of sheet metal was installed locally in an air outlet to limit the air flow. So a detailed survey of building systems was necessary in order to understand the operation of the building.

Asbestos already had been removed from the building some years before retrofitting for energy savings. Therefore asbestos was not expected to be a problem. However. during construction some asbestos was found within the air ducts which then had to be sealed.