Faced with increasing competition, a property owner has utilised BREEAM to create the first commercial building in Romania to receive a sustainability accreditation.
The Class A office complex has seen significant energy performance improvements to achieve a BREEAM In-Use Excellent rating as part of a plan to create the more desirable office space in the region.
Located in the increasingly prosperous city of Cluj-Napoca the historic capital of Transylvania is the Olimpia Business Centre. It holds the accolade of not only being the first BREEAM In-Use certificated building in the region, but also the first commercial building in Romania to receive sustainability accreditation. The building’s blue chip tenants include financial services organisations Citibank, Evalueserve, and Thomsons, as well as cable and satellite provider RCS-RDS and audio systems firm Bose.
In a tough international real estate market the building owner Alexandru Galos took the view that proving the sustainable credentials of existing office buildings in use would be a key differentiator, and underwent BREEAM In-Use certification in 2013. Following the initial Very Good assessment – Galos, faced with stiff competition from new entrants into the local market, continued to improve building performance with the result that the Olimpia Business Centre is now certified Excellent.
The building achieved 81% of the available BREEAM credits for building management (Part 1) and 70% for the asset itself (Part 2) to gain it the Excellent rating. The most obvious sign of the importance placed on having a respected international sustainability badge is the fact the 6809 m2 centre is now fully occupied by major multinational companies.
In the initial Very Good BREEAM assessment the building performed especially well in categories such as Materials, Waste and Health & Wellbeing. In addition to focusing on sustainable construction materials the management team was committed to continuous improvement and the health & wellbeing of the building occupants.
To achieve its subsequent Excellent rating, the centre employed the services of BREEAM assessor Alexandra Stoica of AG Consulting who guided the owner and management team on the interventions needed to raise performance across both Parts 1 and 2 of BREEAM In-Use.
Architect Serban Tiganas and building services firm Grup Energoinstal Ltd assisted in delivering the centre’s upgrade which saw investment in low carbon technologies including renewable energy generation, recycling and rain water harvesting. A solar array of panels now provide heating and domestic hot water as well as PV panels supplying electricity to the building, and a rainwater harvesting tank has been installed used for landscaping irrigation.
The client remains committed to an ongoing process of improvement to both the building asset and its management within the framework provided by BREEAM In-Use, to help the building continue to be a competitive asset. Alexandru Galos: “Implementing BREEAM In-Use certification means lower running costs of the building and a higher building market value, shown by the fact that tenants are more willing to rent space or extend contracts. Our future challenge is to continue to demonstrate to the market that older buildings can provide as cost effective and high quality a work environment as the best of the newest ones.”
The project team’s success in being shortlisted for a BREEAM Award 2016 proves the potential for Romanian commercial buildings to succeed against a major international benchmark of in-use performance. It also demonstrates the importance and potential of upgrading existing stock to provide sustainable low energy space for the future.