BREEAM is only one side of the (green) coin

The real estate sector can play a key role in decarbonising the economy – buildings account for about 40 pct of global CO2 emissions. The construction phase is key in terms of reducing carbon emissions and during the subsequent use of these buildings – and these include warehouses. Environmental impact reduction begins long before the project starts and involves a series of business decisions, starting with the selection of the site.

The climate legislation passed by the European Parliament has set more ambitious goals when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions – by at least 55 pct by 2030 – with the aim of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. EU directives have made it mandatory to strive for neutrality, which for the commercial real estate sector has meant intensifying its pro-environmental activities.

Before the project is developed

The very location of the site determines the type and scale of the environmental impact. Brownfield projects allow for a kind of recycling of the site to be developed. Parcels of land that have in the past been used for industrial purposes are ideal for recreating the fabric for subsequent business activities – often by industries different than hitherto. The reuse of such sites minimises the need for greenfield development, which in itself is a testament to the environmental approach adopted, while the skilful planning of projects of this type reduces carbon emissions. With brownfield projects, the concrete left over as waste from demolished facilities, for example, can be crushed and used for road construction. One excellent example of this is provided by our project at Segro Park Amsterdam Airport, where a road has been created with 100 pct recycled asphalt (RAP).

On the Polish market, examples can also be found of industrial site redevelopment, such as Segro’s project on ul. Annopol in Warsaw’s Żerań district, where the FSO car factory was formerly located. So it is already possible to see how replacing older buildings with modern facilities can encourage the subsequent development of business in the same area. And thus the plot itself can play a crucial role in minimising the environmental impact.

Construction vs. carbon reduction plan

The total reduction of embedded carbon dioxide emissions is the result of all the decisions made at the project planning stage. Therefore, the most important thing from the outset is to set a target – specifically, the level of emissions that absolutely cannot be exceeded. Developers have a number of tools to enable them to achieve this goal. One important aspect is the preliminary analysis of the entire construction process before the construction work begins. Designing a property using BIM (Building Information Modelling) allows you to model the building in question and set the parameters to be achieved. Various properties can be assigned to the various elements of the model, including those related to the building materials used and the CO2 emissions during the manufacturing process of each given product, as well as those related to suppliers, the location and other factors affecting the entire project. The technical parameters introduced by BIM thus provide current information about the embedded carbon footprint. And this is where the above-mentioned goal – the level that CO2 is reduced by – comes in. With a carefully planned project, we know the specific parameters we want to achieve throughout the warehouse development process.

An improved performance can be attained through the choice of construction materials, such as the use of recycled steel that is produced in a sustainable manner. It is worth mentioning that cement or concrete manufacturers often use various types of admixtures that are classified as waste. In the production process, however, they are valuable additions to the concrete mix that reduce its carbon footprint. Through the use of such materials. a lower embedded carbon footprint can be ensured during the construction phase.

Another approach that reduces CO2 emissions is to minimise the distances required for the transportation of the construction materials. By working with local suppliers, investors can not only reduce their environmental impact, but also benefit from lower prices, while also supporting local businesses. For us, this aspect is extremely important and is in line with our ‘Responsible Segro’ policy, which covers the entire activities of our group. The three pillars that guide this are: championing low-carbon growth, investing in local communities and environments, and nurturing talent.

In addition to monitoring the embedded carbon footprint, minimising emissions during the warehouse’s operation is crucial for the next stage. Important aspects of this include: improved wall and roof insulation, the use of mechanical ventilation with in-built heat recovery, as well as energy-efficient energy sources and LED lighting with DALI (digital addressable lighting interface) control. We can make savings in warehouses by, for example, adapting the operational hours of the lighting and equipment to the needs of the business. In this respect, it is worth using intelligent solutions and systems such as BMS (building management systems), which allow us not only to collect the energy consumption data, but also to monitor it on an ongoing basis and take appropriate action.

Another important step is to strive to abandon or minimise the use of gas, which generates significant amounts of carbon dioxide. One alternative might be the use of heat pumps, which enable heat from the environment to be recovered. It is equally important to maintain an adequate temperature across the premises of the warehouse. It’s also worth mentioning a simple and effective method of reducing gas consumption: occupiers are often unaware that reducing the temperature by one degree reduces gas consumption of up to 5–7 pct.

The many sides of certification

The warehouse sector, just like the office sector, as a whole is currently undergoing a green certification process. The data shows that by 2023 warehouses in Poland made up 33 pct of all buildings with green certification. Companies often opt for the BREEAM or LEED certificates, but it needs to be borne in mind that while obtaining such certification is a guarantee that all stages of the investment have been verified in terms of sustainability and environmental impact, it is the entire process of the building’s construction and subsequent operation that adds up to the creation of buildings that are actually “green”. It is the investor who decides what standards they are able – and willing – to meet in a given location and how many points are necessary for certification. At Segro, for the last ten years, all of our newly constructed warehouse and production buildings have achieved BREEAM certification at the ‘Good’ or ‘Very Good’ levels, and at the ‘Excellent’ level since early 2022.

The bottom line is that it is crucial to adopt a holistic approach that takes into account the entire warehouse construction and operation process. Often the term ‘green’ is associated only with obtaining an environmental certificate for a building. But it is important to have a deeper understanding of the process, which when it comes to many aspects naturally translates into points, but it should also include tools that can increase sustainability standards to the highest possible level.

The man from Mercury

Stanisław Zysek has held the position of technical director at Segro Central Europe for the last ten years and has more than twenty years of experience working in international corporations active in Poland, including 15 years in the commercial real estate market. Prior to joining Segro, Stanisław had eight years of professional experience in the electrical installation industry at such firm as Elin EBG and Mercury Engineering. He graduated from the electrical engineering faculty of the Silesian University of Technology.