Why did this building undergo BREEAM Certification?

To assure the quality of Vacse’s property portfolio, the Board of Directors decided that the entire existing portfolio should be certified in accordance with the BREEAM In-Use system by year-end of 2019, with the aim of achieving the grade “Very Good”. Accordingly, our decision to certify our entire portfolio demonstrates that, apart from confirming that we have attractive work and meeting spaces, we gain a structured tool that leads to improvements for the environment, our tenants and ourselves. Around the clock operation within the Prison and Probation Service, Tabellen 4, requires large amounts of energy all year round. This means that there are major profits to be made in reviewing the heating and cooling systems, both for the environment and us as property owners. Additionally, the property also impacts; transport, waste, water use and local ecosystems.

Tabellen 4, is a protected facility in accordance with 4 § section 5 in the Swedish Installation Protection Act (2010:305). As such, the building cannot be presented in detailed floor plans or interior sketches. The purpose of this is to minimize the risk of break-out, help to escape or attacks on the building. As one of the first certified high-security classified buildings in Sweden, the achieved BREEAM certification demonstrates the system’s holism and flexibility and the possibility to gather enough points to enable a certification on any type of public building, regardless of the operations conducted within its walls. By possessing the certification, we are able to quality assure a well-functioning indoor climate to guarantee our tenant an efficient and sustainable working environment.

“BREEAM certification creates attractive spaces to work and meet, and a structured management for continuous improvements for the environment, our tenants and Vacse. Research shows that verdant and green workplaces have positive impacts in stressful work environments. Combined with a quality-assured indoor climate, the certification of Tabellen 4 leads to a more satisfied tenant. BREEAM helps us take a holistic view of the property and its vicinity. Certified buildings have environmental benefits, reduced operating costs, and supports a long-term sustainable property portfolio. Sustainability is of great importance to us as a long-term owner of public properties and permeates our business, through a ISO-certified 14001 management system, a certified property portfolio, green financing and research promoting restorative work environments.” Fredrik Linderborg, CEO, Vacse

In June 2018, Vacse listed its first green bond on the Nasdaq Stockholm Sustainable Bonds List. The amount issued was SEK 500m. At year-end of 2018, Vacse’s total investments approved for financing using green bonds amounted to a total of SEK 1.1bn. Green bond financing requires that a sufficiently large portion of the property portfolio is certified with a certain minimum grade, stated in “Vacse’s Green Bond Framework”. Green bonds offer many benefits, to name a few; they are often issued at a better price, they provide better access to the capital market and attracts more investors, which in turn leads to business advantages. Certifying the entire portfolio in accordance with BREEAM standards therefor makes yet another positive contribution to our operations.

BREEAM In-Use rewards compliance with environmental legislation and standards, such as ISO 14001, but also sets higher requirements than current legislation, and the result is, for example, that material manufacturers adapt their products to meet these demands. It can therefore be said that environmental systems nowadays drive development faster than legislation. The construction industry often underperforms in relation to the demands and expectations made by authorities and customers, a BREEAM certified building is therefore not only a matter of environmental benefits and money, but also works as an insurance of the building’s long-term quality.

Overview of Green Strategy and Environmental Features

The property is heated and cooled using a mechanical ventilation system, a so-called FTX system, meaning that the energy in the exhaust air is recycled using a rotating heat exchanger, the efficiency is about 80-85 % and the energy use for heating is reduced by 50-60 %. Since a large amount of the property’s energy use comprises ventilation and heating, there is a superordinate system that controls, regulates and monitors the property’s functions. Using the monitoring system, the responsible facilitating staff can optimize and monitor the status of all the property’s systems. The system sends alarm to the facilitating staff if any part of the property deviates from its intended function.

In “Asset Performance”, three indicators stand out in terms of score rate; Transport (88.89 %), Waste (100 %) and Pollution (95.45 %). The waste disposal room is generously constructed and serves the tenant with more than eight dispose fractions. The commuter train station is in near proximity to the property’s main entrance and offers frequent departures that carry travelers to Stockholm Central Station within 15 minutes. A large residential area is located around the property and for a long time, the residents opposed the establishment of the institution in the area and for this reason, major architectural importance was focused on the property’s appearance. The establishment of the Prison and Probation Service in the area had to be marked by transparency and openness. The 6,000 sqm glass facades are made of insulating glass. The glass was also produced based on several functional requirements, such as electrical heating, alarm functions and built-in solar protection.

The roof of the low part of the building is covered with sod roof to facilitate the run-off of surface water onto the property, while also enabling pollination surfaces for insects. Mixed vegetation around the building and the main entrance create a more harmonious impression. Employees, detainees, relatives and other visitors have presumed higher additional stress levels in an institutional environment like this. Research clearly shows that people are more contented in verdant settings, have better concentration and demonstrate more empathy, which, in turn, leads to better results, improved cooperation and less sick leave.

In “Building Management”, two indicators stand out in terms of score rate; Water (84.62 %) and Materials (85 %). Since the initiation of the BREEAM In-Use project, Vacse has implemented a steering document on how documentation and projects are to be executed from a sustainability perspective. Several of the indicators can be found in this Sustainability Program; replacement with low-flush wet room installations, replacement of poor refrigerants, strategy to minimize hazardous VOC-emitting substances, restriction of the spread of building dust during remodeling and a shift to LED lighting, to name a few.