Schiphol awarded first LEED Platinum certification for sustainable construction in the Netherlands
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has been awarded the LEED Platinum certificate for sustainable construction for its TransPort office building at Schiphol-East. This is the first time that a building in the Netherlands has been awarded this international certificate by the United States Green Building Council (USGB). LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the international sustainability mark which assesses construction projects around the world on five environmental criteria: sustainable sites; water efficiency; energy and the atmosphere; materials and resources; and indoor environmental quality. TransPort has been awarded the highest 'Platinum' level.
"We started the construction of TransPort three years ago with the aim of constructing a sustainable, commercial office building to the highest international standards," said Maarten de Groof, Executive Vice President & CCO of Schiphol Group. "We're proud that our efforts have been rewarded with this internationally renowned certificate. This is quite a unique honour. LEED Platinum has not previously been awarded within the Netherlands and this is only the third Platinum level award even within Europe. We're also delighted that transavia.com and Martinair are very satisfied with their new sustainable head office. We invest a lot in sustainability and in creating an optimum environment for establishing businesses, both of which are important parts of Schiphol's strategy."
LEED
LEED stands for 'The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design'. It is a method used to assess the sustainability of the design, construction and management of buildings. The method was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a non-profit organisation representing every sector within the construction industry. A strong global push is underway in the construction of sustainable real estate. Worldwide, 6,326 projects have received LEED certification, or which 1,458 are Certified, 2,066 are Silver, 2,432 are Gold and 371 are Platinum (as of December 2010). Of the 371 Platinum projects, 7 are in Europe, and 3 (including TransPort) are new-build office projects. The other Platinum office projects are located in Germany and Finland. In April 2010, TransPort was also awarded the first BREEAM-NL certificate for sustainable construction.
TransPort
TransPort has a total floorspace of 11,200 m² available for hire. Construction began on March 17, 2009. The sustainability concept and the architectonic design were created jointly with the Amsterdam-based architectural firm Paul de Ruiter. Construction was carried out by De Vries en Verburg, based in Stolwijk. BenR Adviseurs, an Amersfoort-based sustainability consultancy, guided the LEED accreditation process. TransPort is the new head office for transavia.com and Martinair. transavia.com was involved in the design of the building from the start.
Schiphol Real Estate
Schiphol Real Estate, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Schiphol Group, develops, manages, operates and invests in commercial real estate. TransPort is a Schiphol Real Estate investment and development.
Note to the editors:
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Appendix: Additional information on TransPort's LEED Platinum certification (source: LEED Platinum certificate report)
Construction partners involved:
Developer and investor: Schiphol Real Estate
Design: Architectural firm Paul de Ruiter bv, Amsterdam
Construction management and guidance: Brains to Build B.V., Amersfoort
Installation consultant: Deerns consulting engineers bv, Rijswijk
Construction consultant: ABT structural engineering consultancy bv, Velp
Sustainability consultant: BenR BV, Amersfoort
Architectural contractor: Vries en Verburg construction, Stolkwijk
Mechanical engineering contractor: Wolter & Dros
Electro-technical contractor: Croon
Appendix: Additional information on TransPort's LEED Platinum certification (source: LEED Platinum certificate report)
LEED
LEED assesses not just the building's inherent levels of sustainability but also the level of quality control built into its design, construction and management.
The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) independently tests the completed building for the extent to which it meets LEED standards. The levels of sustainability achieved by the building in various fields are each assigned a value. The Platinum level is the highest possible valuation.
TransPort
The TransPort office building was designed with LEED Platinum criteria in mind. To that end, a number of measures were built into the design and into the construction guidelines.
Sustainable Sites
Score: 12 out of 15 possible points and 1 extra point for Exemplary Performance.
The building is situated on brownfield land. That means it has not encroached on open spaces, valuable agricultural land or nature reserves. The building is easily accessible by public transportation. Cyclists have been provided with comfortable parking facilities in the building. Any employees using particularly energy efficient cars to reach the building have access to reserved parking spaces. Parking spaces are mostly situated underneath the building to use the space efficiently, and to enable surrounding spaces to remain clear and green. The vegetation chosen in the planting scheme avoids the need for sprinklers in the summer. A green roof has been created on one of the lower parts of the building's roof.
Water Efficiency
Score: 5 out of 5 possible points and 1 extra point for Exemplary Performance.
Various water efficiency measures ensure that the use of potable water has been reduced by 61%. As well as the carefully chosen planting scheme which doesn't require irrigation in the summer, the building has been made water efficient by using a rainwater system to flush the toilets, and water-efficient showers and taps. Urinals use no water at all.
Energy & Atmosphere
Score: 12 out of 14 possible points and 1 extra point for Exemplary Performance.
The building has been made more energy efficient by allowing plenty of natural light, good shading systems, and insulation. Underground heating and cooling storage systems, combined with heat pumps, allow the building to be heated and cooled in a sustainable manner. The building generates its own sustainable energy through solar panels on the higher levels of its roof. The solar power system meets at least 5% of the building's electricity needs. Transavia.com and Martinair buy the rest of their electricity from environmentally friendly suppliers.
This means that TransPort has achieved a 52.5% saving in energy use. In financial terms, that represents a 31% saving. For the purposes of certification, this needed to be demonstrated using extensive simulations of the building's energy system, in accordance with fixed, prescribed regulations.
Extra quality care around the construction and management of the building has ensured that the standards it set out to achieve have indeed been met and will continue to be met.
A Commissioning Plan was set up to that end, which ensured systematic controls in the design, monitoring and testing of the building's objectives, and also ensured that data was thoroughly documented and disseminated. A Measurement and Verification Plan was also set up.
Over the next 2 years, TransPort's energy use will be measured and compared with original predictions of its energy use. That will enable any faults or anomalies to come to light and be resolved quickly.
Materials & Resources
Score: 5 out of 11 possible points and 1 extra point for Exemplary Performance.
As far as was possible, the materials chosen for the building came from recycled sources, and products and materials were sourced and produced from within Europe. The contractor managed to buy 38% of construction materials from recycled sources, and 63% were sourced and produced within 800km of the site. Furthermore, 96% of all the wood used within and around the building came from sustainably managed sources (FSC certified).
Indoor Environmental Quality
Score: 7 out of 11 possible points.
On top of environmental concerns, close attention was paid to the health and comfort of those using the office. The building is equipped with a ventilation system which supplies plenty of fresh air and also uses additional equipment to strictly monitor the air quality.
Putties, glues and finishing materials such as coverings and paints were required to meet the most stringent emissions standards for volatile organic materials and formaldehyde. This ensures a minimal impact on the indoor environment. Unfortunately it wasn't possible for all putties and glues to meet these stringent standards. The differences between European and US standards turned out to be the stumbling block. Products meeting the strictest European standards do not automatically comply with US standards, due to differences in testing methods.
The TransPort building also features plenty of natural light and views of its surroundings.
During its construction, great care was taken to avoid polluting the building and its components.
