40 office projects built and developed by Skanska in Central and Eastern Europe have been certified in LEED Core & Shell. Since 2012, the company has delivered over 700,000 sqm of LEED-certified and 34,600 sqm of WELL-certified office space across the region. The stock of sustainable space delivered by Skanska is expected to increase by further 300,000 sqm in 2020.
Skanska is a pioneer in terms of providing sustainable office space in Central and Eastern Europe. Ten years ago the company introduced the LEED certificate as the first developer in the region. This was a forward-thinking idea regarding the need to care about the environment along with quality more, as LEED was not a widespread standard in the industry. However, year by year the awareness and importance of green building technology grew. Consequently LEED became a standard evaluation tool on the commercial real estate market. Now, Skanska is again at the forefront in introducing WELL certificate for its office building. Last year, Skanska’s Visionary development in Prague became the first WELL-certified office building in Central and Eastern Europe and buildings Campus 6.2 and Campus 6.3 received the WELL Building Standard ™ pre-certification at the silver level, being the first two buildings that are WELL pre-certified in Romania.
Sustainability drives Skanska’s operations and supports our business strategy based on our mission: building for a better society. We fully concentrate on delivering buildings developed according to the highest standards. Our strategic offer, Futureproof Workplaces by Skanska, is a promise to our customers that no matter which Skanska project they choose, it will be developed with a special focus on Design, Sustainability and Innovation. LEED and WELL certificates are the best evidence that our company fulfills the promise and delivers environmentally friendly buildings focused on people wellbeing. Our efforts have also been recognized on a wider scale. Skanska has been ranked 20th in the list of companies changing the world[1]. It is a great recognition and great responsibility at the same time. We are fully aware of the climate change, and that is why we are still working on further steps towards minimizing our impact on the planet – says Katarzyna Zawodna-Bijoch, President and CEO of Skanska office business unit in CEE.
Recent accomplishments
Equilibrium office project in Bucharest is the second one developed by Skanska in Romania. The first building has recently received LEED Core & Shell on the Platinum level.
"Our vision is to build for the future and we constantly raise the standards through our achievements. Equilibrium and Campus 6 are two living examples that confirm Skanska's commitments to the environment, to the tenants and their employees. Equilibrium 1 has recently obtained LEED Platinum certification, and Campus 6.2 and Campus 6.3 are the first WELL pre-certified office buildings in Romania. LEED has provided us the framework for sustainability and efficiency, while WELL helps us to put the resident of the buildings at the center of these ecosystems”, said Aurelia Luca, Executive Vice President Operations Romania.
Buildings Campus 6.2 and Campus 6.3 have received the WELL Building Standard ™ pre-certification at the silver level, being the first two buildings that are WELL pre-certified in Romania.
Spark C in Warsaw received the WELL Core & Shell certificate as the first building in Poland and the second office building in CEE. Additionally, the building was previously awarded the following certificates: WELL New & Existing Interiors, LEED Core & Shell on Platinum level, LEED Commercial Interior on Platinum level and the Building without Barriers certificate (by the Integration Foundation).
Praga Studios in Prague is a project which got LEED Platinum certification for Core & Shell. It received 97 points which makes it the most sustainable Skanska building in the CEE region.
Spark B in Warsaw, as the second building in Skanska Spark office complex, was awarded LEED Core & Shell on the Platinum level.
Nowy Rynek B in Poznań is the latest certified office project in Poland developed by Skanska. It has been granted LEED Core & Shell on the Platinum level.
2020 – new certifications to come
New year will bring new certificates as Skanska has no intention to slow down when it comes to delivering sustainable buildings and futureproof workplaces. According to company’s calculations, newly certified developments will increase the total stock of Skanska by 220,000 sqm of LEED-certified and 79,800 sqm of WELL-certified office space. At the turn of 2020 and 2021 the developer also plans to introduce WELL certificate in Hungary and Romania, following the success of initial WELL-certified projects in Poland and in the Czech Republic.
Company’s efforts in this matter have been already recognized by Fortune magazine. Skanska was ranked 20th in its annual “Change the World 2019” list of 52 organizations leveraging their operations to make important social or environmental impact. Skanska is the only engineering/construction company on this list. Skanska Group has recently announced the target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2045, with a 50 percent reduction by 2030.
[1] According to Fortune Change the World list 2019. Skanska was ranked 20th and is the only engineering/construction company on the list: https://fortune.com/change-the-world/2019/skanska/