About the building

The area where the building is located was previously occupied by car parks and garages, it used to have low ecological value. Thanks to the construction, the area has gained an attractive look, also the ecological value of the adjacent area has increased significantly thanks to the internal courtyard and green roofs of an area of 2500 m² available for tenants.

The features key of the building creating lower maintenance costs and improving work comfort:

• It was decided to apply unusual solutions in the field of thermal insulation as well as facade tightness that meet legal requirements, which in Poland will come into force from 2021 (the building obtained occupancy permit in 2018).
• A modern heating and cooling system was used. Within the area of one floor it allows for simultaneous heating in some rooms and cooling in another, using for this purpose waste heat generated in one zone and “moving it” to another.
• Used water fittings installed in the building generate 65.31%  of savings in water consumption compared to the base assumptions (without recovery of rainwater or greywater).
• In order to provide maximum comfort for users and avoid crowds in the morning rush hour, 7 modern and spacious elevators, moving at a speed of 2.5 m/s, were used together with an advanced control system. All elevators are equipped with an energy recovery system during braking.
• A safe and economical operation system of humidifying the adiabatic air supplied to the office space was used.
• To ensure the highest comfort for all building functions, also the ventilation units dedicated to toilets are equipped with air conditioning and air cooling in summer.
• The installed BMS system basing on freely programmable controllers allows for very extense control and monitoring of all devices and systems.
• In the entrance hall there are sensors for continuous measurement of VOC concentration and formaldehyde, which is also visible in the BMS.
• Due to the changing preferences of users regarding means of transport: 85% more bicycle racks, 50% more showers for cyclists, 75% more lockers for cyclists and 25% more electric car charging stations than required by the BREEAM certificate are provided.
• Selection of plant species in courtyards and roofs ensures high biodiversity, among others due to vegetation of different vegetation times, which ensures green areas for most of the year.

Why did the building undergo BREEAM certification?

The Investor was the main initiator of Podium Park gaining certification according to BREEAM. BREEAM certification was chosen for several reasons, firstly it uses a transparent assessment system based on scientific and research evidence, it also covers issues related to the use of energy and water, the internal environment (health and well-being), pollution, transport, materials, waste, ecological processes as well as management. By imposing its requirements from a very early design stage, it has a positive impact on the design, construction and management of buildings, it defines and maintains technical standards by ensuring quality and appropriate methodology. The BREEAM certification process has been consistently developed and matured with the development of the project. The certifying company and an assessor were already involved at the very beginning of concept stage, it can be said that the designers were accompanied by the assessor from the first sketches and outline of the building.

Categories that the building performed well in were;

• Management: 22 achieved credits of 23 available.
• Health & Wellbeing: 10 achieved credits of 13 available. The materials used meet the highest standards for low VOC and formaldehyde emissions. To have more control over emissions in the main hall there are detectors for continuous VOC measurement.
• Energy :23 achieved credits of 24 available. LED lighting, metering of all utilities, energy-saving elevators or non-standard insulation and tightness of the building allowed to score almost the maximum number of points in this category.
• Transport: 9 achieved credits of 9 available. Due to its location, the building is very well connected and is equipped with all possible amenities for ecological means of transport (highly developed infrastructure for cyclists and electromobility).
• Water: 9 achieved credits of 9 available. Despite the lack of installations for the recovery of gray or rainwater, thanks to the installed fittings, it was possible to achieve significant water savings in relation to the base assumptions, 65.31%.
• Materials: 10 achieved credits of 11 available. 86.47% of all used thermal insulation and materials of the main building components come from producers who have implemented Responsible Sourcing Certification Schemes, mostly ISO 14001.
• Waste: 5 achieved credits of 6 available. At the construction stage, great emphasis was put on waste management, which allowed for very high recovery and reuse of waste, 99.47%.
• Land Use & Ecology: 8 achieved credits of 10 available.
• Pollution: 11 achieved credits of 13 available.
  Thanks to its location, the building is completely protected against flood hazards from all sources.
• Innovation: 7 achieved credits of 10 available.

Green Strategy

The main challenge was maintaining the result from the Design Stage. The Project Team has set themselves the goal of being more ecological and environmentally friendly and creating an optimal and healthy workplace for building users. As a result of many efforts, the scoring obtained at the Post Construction Stage has allowed the result to increase by 7.3% compared to the Design Stage.
Many requirements come also directly from tenants/users of the building, especially corporate clients, who place very high demands on working in an ecological environment.
Meeting the BREEAM requirements, e.g. in the field of biodiversity and green areas, we have created areas where tenants can relax and take a breath during work. Tenants have measurable benefits in the form of lower fees by using energy saving systems in the building and exceeding the insulation requirements of external walls.

Users using ecological means of transport were also taken care of, creating an above average number of bicycle racks and lockers for cyclists or providing internal and external charging stations for electric cars.

Benefits of Assessing to BREEAM

The greatest and uncountable value that BREEAM certification has provided is the satisfaction of tenants and building users. By implementing the BREEAM certificate, we have created a cost-effective and attractive building for tenants both in terms of maintenance costs and the workplace, but also with relaxation zones. In addition, tenants praise the rich infrastructure for cyclists and the possibility of charging electric vehicles. Moreover, in mid-2019, the  cooperation  with the manufacturer and supplier of BMS was established, which continuously retrieves all data from sensors installed on HVAC devices and maps them in the building’s mathematical model, which allows for even more accurate optimization of devices and detecting irregularities.            -Jaroslaw Kubica, Project Manager of Podium Park