2023/10/13
Many new business centres in Lithuania are certified with BREEAM or LEED international green building certificates, but not a single building in our country has the WELL certificate, which is becoming increasingly popular worldwide. It is planned that the first in Lithuania to receive this certificate will be the Hero business Centre, developed by Realco in Vilnius' central business district.
According to Mindaugas Mikolainis, an accredited WELL assessor, the uniqueness of the WELL building certification system is that it focuses on the employee and working environment, with the aim of making the occupant of the building feel as good as possible. As a result, indoor air, lighting, temperature, and acoustic solutions must meet certain criteria based on laboratory tests and measurements, and the building must promote a healthy lifestyle.
"The WELL certificate is another step forward for property developers who want to offer fully sustainable projects to the market. With energy efficiency class A+ and above, as well as renewable energy and green building certification already being the norm, it's natural to want to focus on the people who use the buildings. The WELL certification scheme is relatively new, having been established in 2014, and is still gaining momentum in Europe. So far, there is not a single WELL certified building in Lithuania, so the capital's Hero will be the first swallow,” says M. Mikolainis.
Adds value to office buildings
According to Tadas Černauskas, Construction Project Manager at Realco, the company developing the Hero business centre, today's office buildings are subject to increasingly high demands from consumers themselves. Not only does the building need to be sustainable and efficient, but it also needs to ensure the well-being of the people who work there.
"The WELL certificate confirms that the best practice solutions adopted by the international community have been implemented, allowing employees to feel comfortable in the building. The provisions of this certificate are scientifically based and require laboratory tests of drinking water, indoor air and other qualitative measurements of indoor environmental parameters to meet the criteria of the certificate. Once certified, the quality must continue to be checked on a regular basis, at least annually, by sending data to the supervising organisation, with recertification every 3 years. Tenants of such buildings are assured that the wellbeing of employees is considered in the long term," says T. Černauskas.
In the future, WELL certification should become an important added value in the office segment, as global trends show that concern for employees is only increasing. The building manager creates a basis for the tenant to take advantage of various employee incentives, such as healthy food or healthy lifestyle activities.
"We are currently focusing on the solutions for the common areas of the Hero Business Centre. We have planned spaces for relaxation areas, a reading room, and a 140 sqm urban gardening area, where building users will be able to grow herbs, vegetables, as well as to take educational classes and other events. We are looking for solutions to encourage employees to move around more in the common areas, to conveniently distribute drinking water stations, and to offer a wide range of healthy food options. Every little thing counts, because it is the little things that make the workplace feel even better than home," says the representative of Realco.
According to T. Černauskas, to achieve the WELL certificate, which is a voluntary decision of Realco, it is important not only to take into account that the certification process is time-consuming and requires various changes to the project, but also to make an additional financial contribution.
The Hero, which is an A class office building, will add almost 32,000 sqm of leasable space to the office supply in Vilnius, with 430 parking spaces in the underground car park. Construction is expected to be completed in Q2 2025, with certification to be completed a year later in Q2 2026. In addition to the WELL certificate, the project will be certified BREEAM Excellent for sustainability and energy efficiency.
Evaluates 100 different parameters
According to M. Mikolainis, indoor air, water, temperature, and lighting parameters are crucial for obtaining WELL certification.
For example, indoor air concentrations of carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, surface ozone and formaldehyde are evaluated and regularly checked. Drinking water is also assessed for turbidity, E-coli, chlorine, iron, magnesium, arsenic, fluorine, fluoride, nickel, nitrates, nitrites, and other substances. Indoor natural light analysis shall be carried out to assess the quality of the lighting. The results are then used as a guideline for selecting the optimum layout of workplaces.
"A lot of attention is paid to assessing the efficiency of ventilation, heating and air conditioning. These systems must work together to maintain a comfortable, stable indoor temperature, relative indoor humidity, and maximum indoor air flow rate. The developer must also provide solutions to encourage healthy food choices, provide opportunities for increased physical activity both in and around the building, and give employees the opportunity to rest in designated quiet areas during work breaks," he says.
Around 2,600 buildings worldwide have already been certified under the WELL system, including 450 in the European Union. Well-known buildings such as the Taipei 101 office building in Taiwan, the City Wave complex in Milan (Italy), the Edge Suedkreuz office complex in Berlin (Germany) and the 425 Park Avenue business centre in New York (USA) have been certified.
"With around 30,000 buildings in the world currently registered for certification, the number of certified buildings is likely to increase by several times over the next few years. This shows the great need in the market to turn to the employee as the greatest value", concludes the expert.