Lean, green machines

It may seem incredible in a year blighted by forest fires in Russia  and floods in Poland and elsewhere, but many people still prefer to stick their heads in the sand rather than face up to the fact that global warming is now occurring on an unprecedented scale

The key-note speaker at Eurobuild Conferences’ Switch To Green forum, held at the Warsaw Hilton hotel on November 9th, was Wojciech Stępniewski, the head of the climate and energy project of the World Wildlife Fund. He opened the conference with a presentation addressed to refuting the scepticism that persists over this issue. One of the arguments employed by climate-change deniers is that any growth in global temperatures is due to natural factors, such as an increase in solar activity. But as Mr Stępniewski pointed out, this cannot itself account for the fact that 100,000 giga-tonnes of ice is lost from the polar regions every year – and if this continues at the same rate, we will be faced with an ice-free Arctic in 50 years’ time. His second main point concerned energy self-sufficiency in a world overwhelmingly powered by fossil fuels. Poland, despite the prospect of tapping into recently discovered gas fields, will face the same problem once these potential reserves have run out – being held to ransom by oil and gas producing states with dubious democratic credentials. Buildings are another major polluter, which according to recent studies could achieve 40 pct energy savings through green measures.  Developers, however, are still trying to build as cheaply as possible – in Mr Stępniewski’s words, the number of ‘passive buildings’ (almost zero energy-consuming) in Poland “can be counted on the fingers of both hands.”
The first panel, ‘Green Works – From Theory to Practice’, was focused on how much expenditure is needed to design and construct a green building. In a presentation by Dirk Mölter, UK warehouse developer Goodman’s sustainability and technical director for Continental Europe, he argued that there is currently pressure on developers to green their buildings – on the one side from tenants, who are interested in the cost-saving features of such properties, and on the other from investors, aware that certified green buildings will be more valuable assets in the future when further environmental legislation comes into force. The moderator of the panel, Paweł Niziński, the CEO of corporate responsibility organisation Goodbrand, posed the question: “What does sustainability mean for the Polish consumer?” Andrzej Sitko, the director of consulting engineers Arup, made it clear that it is the end-user of buildings that is all-important in the development process, and so it is essential for governments to educate society about the issue. According to panellist Artur Gizmajer, a senior architect with Epstein Development, investment in such ecological features needs to start early, or the costs will be considerably higher if buildings need to be adapted later. Matthew Williams, the director of architects and planning consultants Rolfe Judd, drew our attention to measures that do not require substantial costs by highlighting a scheme championed by the Greater London Authority under the slogan: “Lean, Green and Clean”. The message of this campaign is that it does not after all cost so much to improve the efficiency of lighting and heating systems.
For those looking to get green accreditation for their buildings, however, there are a currently a bewildering number of certificates to choose from. In her presentation for the next panel, ‘Good on Paper’, Agnes Vorbrodt-Schurma, CEO and founder of the Polish Green Building Council, insisted that such certificates are necessary. Paweł Warda, the LEED-approved head of project and development services at Jones Lang LaSalle who moderated the panel, agreed that such documents provide invaluable proof for investors who may lack the required technical knowledge to judge for themselves how environmentally friendly a property may be. From the tenant department of the same agency, senior consultant Jakub Sylwestrowicz warned, however, that such buildings are only attractive for tenants if the cost is the same (or better) than for standard properties.
The issue of the supposed  extra costs involved in green  development was the topic  of the third panel, ‘The Money  Thing’. Katarzyna Wis-Bielewicz, the project director of Eko- Miasteczko Siewierz – TUP’s project to develop Poland’s first eco-village in Silesia – claimed that this scheme is somewhat visionary in a country where sustainability is still often associated with greater costs; therefore new trends have to be set if people are to be persuaded of the economic advantages. Joanna Mroczek, the head of CB Richard Ellis’ research and consultancy department, pointed out that for new buildings the increase in construction costs is only 0.2 pct, but as much as 7 pct for older properties – to which Katarzyna Zawodna, environmental manager of Skanska Property Poland, added that the entire approach to such development therefore needs to be more holistic. Paweł Bakun, the innovation programme director of Energa-Obrót made the observation that the savings from green solutions could be used as a mechanism for repaying the finance on a property. Magdalena Stretton, the discussion moderator and the country manager for environmental consultants  WSP Enviro, concluded with the sage words: “Knowledge, awareness, eagerness and motivation do not cost anything.”
Among the worst offenders when it comes to energy efficiency are shopping centres, which formed the subject of the final panel, ‘E-Retail’. Ian Booth, director of engineering designers Buro Happold Polska, went as far as to characterise them as “monsters”. Marcin Manuszak, sales director of building services firm Trane Polska, revealed that 40 pct energy savings could be achieved with the correct systems, but added that these are often not employed properly when they have been installed. Roman Tomala, head of architecture at ECE Projektmanagement Polska, spoke of the positive sustainability role that malls play in regenerating city centres. Rounding things up was the moderator Dr Herman Kok, international research director of Multi Development, who ended by referring to the old adage, “location, location, location” – which he claimed would continue to be the test of a retail project’s success, not only in terms of its economic viability, but also of its impact on society and the environment.