Nordea Group first to sign lease contract for the Green Corner

2012-01-31

Skanska Property Poland signed the first office space lease contract for the Green Corner complex, currently under development at Chłodna Street in Warsaw. The new tenant, Nordea Group, will take up 7,000 sqm in building A. Nordea is the leading financial group in Scandinavia and the Baltic countries, with a 190 years’ tradition. The Group is present in 19 countries, serving customers via a network of 1,400 branches and agencies. In Poland, Nordea Group has been active since 1999. Nordea Bank Poland services its customers at over 190 branches, while Nordea PTE pension fund and Nordea Polska TUnŻ life insurance company have a combined number of over 1 million customers.

Apart from the Scandinavian origin, Nordea Group and the developer of Green Corner share a similar approach to environmental protection and sustainable development. In line with Nordea’s corporate policy, the company’s buildings and offices undergo LEED environmental certification. LEED is a system commonly used all over the world, and Skanska applies it in all its office developments, in line with its policy. Green Corner has already been LEED precertified with the highest Platinum rating.

“The key factors we looked at when analysing lease offers included favourable location, pricing, as well as environmental sustainability. I am happy to say that the Green Corner complex, which we picked up, meets our criteria”, said Tomasz Misiak, Vice President of the Management Board at Nordea Bank Polska.
The key advantages of Green Corner include its excellent location in Warsaw Central Business District, as well as green solutions applied in the building’s design and construction.

„We are pleased that the character of the building we selected goes well together with our Scandinavian roots. Natural environment, sustainability and innovative solutions offered by the new headquarters of our companies will guarantee effective working environment”, said Sławomir Łopalewski, President of the Management Board at Nordea Polska TUnŻ life insurance company.

The Green Corner complex is being developed at the corner of Wronia and Chłodna Streets, in Warsaw’s Wola district, near Towarowa and Solidarności Streets and in the vicinity of important public transport routes. Tenants’ employees will have access to many tram and bus lines, and in future also to the new underground line, currently under construction. Green Corner will have a two-storey underground car park with 265 parking places, parking space for 40 bicycles, as well as showers and changing rooms for cyclists. Additionally, 6 supply sources for electric cars will be available for users of the office complex.

„I am happy to welcome Nordea Group as the first tenant at Green Corner. Our common approach to sustainable development will certainly help the tenant use effectively the green solutions we will make available. This will not only benefit the natural environment, but also bring significant savings on electricity and water bills for our tenant”, said Waldemar Olbryk, President of Skanska Property Poland.

Innovative and intelligent technologies implemented by Skanska during the design and construction process will result in significant reduction of the building’s operating costs. Those will include a modern Building Management System (BMS) controlling optimum energy use on the premises of the complex, energy efficient lighting system, photovoltaic panels to produce electric energy from solar energy, use of warm air from offices to heat the garage, as well as a modern air-conditioning system based on chilled beams. The developer will also install daylight control system at tenants’ spaces, adjusting light intensity to the amount of light coming in from the outside. From spring to autumn, the building will be fringed by green trees that have been growing there for years, and an internal patio with green plants will be available to those who enjoy taking a break and relaxing in the open air.
The lease transaction was mediated by Colliers International, a global leader in real estate services. Skanska is currently engaged in talks with a number of other prospective tenants. Thanks to its innovative solutions and excellent location, Green Corner enjoys considerable interest from companies seeking modern office space.

Green Corner

Green Corner is a modern and functional class A office complex, designed and built in compliance with the policy of sustainable development. It is the first LEED  precertified office project in Warsaw with the highest Platinum rating. The seven-storey complex will consist of two office buildings with a total leasable area of 27,000 m2 (14,000 m2 in  building A and 13,000 m2 in building B). Large and well-designed office space will offer tenants high flexibility in terms of interior arrangement. Green Corner was designed by a team of architects supervised by Michał Nocuń from the company MW Projekt Biuro Projektowe Sp. z o.o. from Warsaw. The general contractor is Skanska S.A., whereas  Skanska Property Poland is responsible for commercialisation of the complex. Construction of Green Corner started in February 2011 and completion of the project is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2012.

Location

The Green Corner complex is being developed at the crossroads of Wronia and Chłodna Streets, in the very heart of Warsaw’s Wola district. In this dynamically growing part of the city, constituting part of Warsaw’s business centre, numerous commercial and residential investments, as well as development of road infrastructure are planned. Location of the complex in the centre of Warsaw, in the vicinity of important public transport routes
(8 tram lines, 9 bus lines and a ten minute walk to the planned station of the second line of Warsaw metro), will be a major advantage for employees commuting from various parts of Warsaw. Green Corner will also have a two-storey underground car park with 265 parking places, parking space for 40 bicycles, as well as showers and changing rooms for cyclists. Additionally, 6 supply sources for electric cars will be available for users of the office complex.

Green solutions

Green Corner was designed and is being built on the basis of state-of-the-art technologies and in compliance with principles of sustainable development. The office complex, which is LEED precertified with the highest Platinum rating, will apply for LEED and EU GreenBuilding  certificates, like all other projects developed by Skanska Property Poland. Innovative and intelligent technologies implemented during the design and construction process will result in significant reduction of building’s operating costs, thereby generating savings for tenants. Green Corner will also create exceptional work environment, which will increase employees’ productivity by ensuring comfortable working conditions. The application of such solutions, as well as the BMS (Building Management System), will lead to considerable reduction of energy consumption in comparison to referential buildings.
According to the results of studies carried out in the USA, LEED certified buildings guarantee a decrease of operating costs by approximately 8-9% compared to referential buildings. At the same time, the costs of energy consumption are lower by approximately 30%. Furthermore, Skanska Property Poland has observed that the use of grey water (water after washing hands or showering), water-saving fittings, water-efficient toilets and waterless urinals make it possible to reduce water use to the level of 60%.
Green technologies applied in Green Corner are not only a guarantee of savings, but they also ensure work-friendly environment. This is achieved by maximal access to daylight, as well as by high precision of maintaining optimum air parameters, both in terms of humidity and the inflow of fresh air. All these solutions have a direct effect on the increase of employees’ productivity and reduction of sickness absence.
Cutting-edge solutions implemented in Green Corner will not only result in energy efficiency, but will also considerably improve working conditions and minimise the impact of the complex on natural environment.

These green solutions include:

• Modern Building Management System (BMS) controlling optimum energy use on the premises of the complex
• use of warm air from offices to heat the garage
• energy efficient lighting system (energy efficient fluorescent lamps, motion sensors controlling lighting in common areas, daylight control system adjusting light intensity to the amount of light coming in from outside)
• windows and façade with high insulation parameters, reducing energy loss
• photovoltaic panels to produce electric energy from solar energy
• modern air-conditioning system based on chilled beams (a system which in contrast to traditional ones ensures 100% access to fresh air; no moving parts,  i.e. ventilators, are used, noise emission is reduced and less energy is needed to cool the water used in the system)
• use of low-emission materials, which are safer for health
• systems reducing the consumption of drinking water: use of grey water (water after washing hands or showering) to flush toilets, waterless urinals, water-saving fittings and toilets
• use of plants which do not require watering in open-air spaces
• special parking places for low-emission vehicles and 6 supply sources for electric cars
• use of regional materials in order to minimise the impact of their transport on natural environment
• energy efficient lifts equipped with a system of energy recovery when braking.