Why did this building undergo BREEAM Certification?

The developer underwent the BREEAM certification in order to reduce the environmental impact of the project, increase the ROI and lower the investment risks. Built in the 50s, the building was a factory, perceived as a focal point for the garment industry, one of the most emblematic industries in the Transylvanian region. Following its 50 years of glory, after the factory closed, the building and the site were left in decay for almost 15 years. Because of its central position in the city, the negative impact on the community was severe, both from an aesthetic and environmental perspective. TACO Development took over the challenging project and committed to ambitious targets from the early concept phase, determined to lead by example and deliver an innovative, highly performant and sustainable  building.

The integrated efforts of the entire team transformed the old factory into a class A office building, that is now host to one of the most prolific IT generations of the country. Hence, the name of the building: BINARIUM. The booming IT sector, in the recent years, placed Cluj Napoca on the Wold Bank magnet cities map, tailoring a  ew business card for the whole region.

The building provides healthy and innovative spaces, with premium productivity features for IT and research tenant employees, in a top location in the city centre.

“We used BREEAM as a tool to help us improve the concept, design, execution and operation of our building. The certification contributed to securing the value of our investment. During the process, we were offered clear criteria on how to increase the sustainability performance of our building. Hence, we are committed to certify all our future projects.” TACO Developments

Overview of Green Strategy and Environmental Features

The building scored the highest in the following categories: Health & Wellbeing,  Materials, Waste , Land use and Ecology, followed by Water, Pollution and Energy. BINARIUM is a best practice example of urban regeneration and circular economy in architecture.

The key features of the building include:

• Circular design features due to the full reuse of the reinforced old structure, the employment of cradle to cradle certified products, FSC certified wood, the reuse and recycle of over 80% of the construction waste and the use of durable, recyclable  materials and modular installations. The resulting space is intended to provide optimum flexibility and adaptability to the user.
• Healthier spaces in which were used low to zero VOC finishes and innovative materials, such as the zeolite ceiling gypsum board for sound absorption with air cleaning and significant neutralization of unpleasant odors effect. In addition, the users benefit from abundant, yet comfortable, daylight that, along with lots of biophilic strategies, such as the use of wood and greenery – from air purifying plants, disposed across the office areas, to the over 60 sqm green wall and a variety of other exterior green spaces, were implemented in order to improve the the well being user  experience.
• Innovative and complex technologies include the next-generation UFAD (Underfloor air distribution) – the first such system installed in Eastern Europe, consisting in 470 elements part of the HVAC system, connected to a BMS system set to control and monitor over 50 000 variables for all building installations, with over 15 000 variables only for the HVAC system.