Vastint Poland was awarded two LEED certificates for the two buildings comprising the first phase of Gdynia Waterfront. The hotel was awarded LEED Gold, and the office building LEED Platinum.
Gdynia Waterfront is being developed between the Sea Towers and Kościuszki Square on the embankment of the President’s Bay in Gdynia. At the beginning of June last year, a complex of two buildings comprising office and hotel space, with a leasable area of 20,000 m2 was commissioned. The office building was entirely leased by PKO BP, and the four-star hotel operates under the brand name Marriott Courtyard.
In the next years, further phases of Gdynia Waterfront will be developed in the close vicinity. Ultimately, the complex will deliver almost 100,000 m2 of office, hotel, residential and retail space. It will also comprise cultural and leisure facilities. The prestigious location near the Kościuszki Square, the modern architecture and well-planned public space with direct access to the water will turn it into a colourful and thriving new town centre.
Among a number of environmentally friendly solutions which guarantee high standards of the internal environment and rational energy consumption, particular attention should be paid to an innovative and energy saving ventilation system based on chilled beams. A very significant feature of this solution is the possibility of cooling without activating chillers (so-called free cooling) during a significant part of the year. Due to the fact that chillers are the largest energy consumers, emissions of CO2 are significantly reduced compared to standard buildings. Further, the installation guarantees quiet operation of the equipment and increases the workplace comfort.
“Due to the specific location of the buildings, we equipped the system with an additional sea cooling system. Due to that, tenants can enjoy low operating costs and a high reliability of the system,” explains Tomasz Okuszko, the Project Manager of Vastint Poland. “Another interesting solution is the Clean Drive function, which the elevator engines are equipped with. The technology reduces the use of energy by approximately 30%, and the power recovered by elevator engines is directly transmitted to the electrical network in the buildings,” he adds.
In order to avoid the creation of so-called “hot islands”, the buildings have extensive green roofs with plants. The maintenance of green roofs does not require any watering system, the rain water and moisture existing in the air is sufficient. This solution does not only increase the biologically active area and slow down the outflow of rain water, it also creates a specific microclimate and reduces the heat conduction to the interiors owing to its insulation function. Green roofs also constitute a good example of the use of the fifth facade to increase the aesthetic features of commercial buildings.