Rondo 1, located in the center of Warsaw, is the most attractive place, and yet you have decided to proceed with the certification process. Why did you decide to apply for LEED certification?
Observing trends in the office market in the world, we concluded that green buildings are becoming a standard expected by both investors and tenants. Rondo 1, from its inception, was a reference point for other investment offices in Poland and LEED certification is another step aimed at maintaining the leading position on the Polish market.
Before making a decision, we looked more closely at various ecologic certification schemes. Finally, we chose LEED system because of its popularity in the office market. We were aware, however, that certification will be a challenge. U.S. Green Building Council does not include local specifics and assess certified facilities using U.S. standards, which sometimes differ significantly from Polish.Rondo 1 certification process has been crowned with success.
In February 2011, the building was certified with LEED Gold certificate in the category of "existing buildings".What environment-friendly solutions did you used and was it difficult to get certified?
During the certification process we introduced a new system of waste separation, so that the percentage of segregated waste was 61 percent., and now it reached a level of approximately 76 percent. Installation of perlators allowed us to reduce water consumption in the building by 30 percent. When it comes to reducing energy consumption DALI system and modern ventilation and air conditioning systems operating in the Rondo 1 helped a lot.We also reduced the number of traditional light bulbs, replacing them with energy-efficient ones. At the time of certification, 10 percent. energy supplied to the building was coming from renewable sources. Now it is 100 percent.
The certification process of Rondo 1 lasted about one and a half years, which is longer than expected. Certification for existing buildings is complicated due to the number of individuals and entities involved in the process. It involves not only the owner and administrator of the building, but also the tenants and their employees. The key to success is a good flow of information between all stakeholders.
As the first in Central and Eastern Europe, you have applied DALI system in your office building, responsible for lighting control, is it effective?
The DALI system allows the individual control of each of the 36 000 bulbs in the building and each of the 4 500 blinds. This enables us to take full advantage of natural light. Reducing energy consumption by about 30 percent. in a building is largely due to the DALI system.
Recently you have received, as the only, the award in the CEE Green Building Awards competition in the category of LEED for existing buildings: operations and maintenance. How is your investment different from the others?
Rondo 1 stands out, above all, because so far it is the only building in Poland, which received LEED certification in the category of "existing buildings". Most of the certified facilities in Poland belongs to the category of "new and renovated facilities" or "facilities development" in which the assessment is subject to the project itself, and not the operation of the building.
Thank you for your time.