DNV Poland is proud to announce the opening of the organisation’s first “green” building, specifically designed and constructed to realise cost-effective measures to enhance energy efficiency.

Built to comply with voluntary standards recommended by the European Union’s GreenBuilding Programme, DNV Poland’s expansive new offices, located in Gdynia, Poland, officially to be opened tomorrow – May 7th. The building is about 4500 square meters and facilities to manage training programmes.

Built to comply with voluntary standards recommended by the European Union’s GreenBuilding Programme, DNV Poland’s expansive new offices, located in Gdynia, Poland, officially to be opened tomorrow – May 7th. The building is about 4500 square meters and facilities to manage training programmes.

Henrik Bach, DNV Regional Manager says that the decision to invest in the green technologies that make the building energy efficient was driven by a number of issues. “As an organisation devoted to managing environmental risk, we have to demonstrate our commitment to reducing the environmental impact of our own operations,” he says. “In addition to helping us cut costs over the long-term, this building sends a strong message about our institutional commitment to this issue to both existing and potential customers.”

“The fact that DNV has decided to build this office is underlining our strong belief in the development of the maritime industry in Poland, and in Poland’s role as a competence centre for DNV for technical development and advanced calculations used in our work for the maritime and offshore industries” says Henrik Bach.

According to project coordinator Magdalena Dzierbicka, the project required a holistic approach to improving energy efficiency and reducing the building’s environmental impact. “There is no one single component of the building that makes it green,” she says. “Rather we looked at a broad range of issues, from temperature control systems to building materials and energy efficient solutions”.

Magdalena Dzierbicka adds: “When the organisation decided it had outgrown our previous facilities, the decision was taken to buy another property, and install components to make it a green building,” she says. “It was an intensive process and we are very satisfied with the results.”

One key component to the building is the building management system (BMS) developed by one of the most known global specialist company in energy management. The system regulates lighting and temperature in different parts of the building using a network of sensors. The system is linked via software to a command centre, which monitors energy usage, and allows adjustments to be made where necessary. The system can be controlled from a remote location but individuals in the building can also adjust temperatures and lighting manually.

The building’s location, located near the public rail system and about 20km from the Gdansk Lech Wałęsa Airport, will allow easy access to the facility and reduce automobile usage. Even the plantings outside the structure were chosen to be compatible with local bird populations.

Date: 28 May 2010