The first office complex developed by Skanska Property Poland in Krakow - Kapelanka 42 – has been awarded the prestigious LEED Gold certification. It is the second scheme of its type LEED Core&Shell certified in the capital of the Małopolska region.
Kapelanka 42, which comprises two phases, is a 12-floor green office complex with a total leasable area of 30,000 sqm. The investment was commissioned for use in Q2 and Q3 of 2014. Both phases are 92% and 88% commercialized respectively. At the beginning of November 2014, building B was purchased by Polish fund REINO Dywidenda FIZ, managed by REINO Partners.
“Kapelanka 42 is the 8th LEED certified project developed by Skanska Property Poland. Taking into consideration 2014's record-breaking supply of new office space in Krakow, which totaled over 100,000 sqm, the certification is and will continue to be a crucial competitive advantage. This trend underlines the companies’ growing environmental awareness as well as their focus on employees’ comfort in their broad business strategy,” says Paweł Paśnikowski, Sustainable Development Manager at Skanska Commercial Development Europe.
Thanks to its innovative, green solutions, Kapelanka 42 will also offer its tenants significant reductions in running costs including over 33% in energy and 50% in water consumption compared to the local norms. Its welcoming interior will provide employees with daylight access in 75% of the complex's office space, clean air and greater comfort due to temperature regulation in smaller areas. On the complex’s premises there are charging stations for electric cars, numerous parking spaces for bicycles with locker rooms and showers for cyclists. The building’s environmentally-friendly features include, among other things, the large amount of local materials used during construction which reduced the complex's initial carbon footprint.
In Kapelanka 42, as in all office buildings by Skanska, the developer has implemented its own unique programme of green education. At the tenants’ request, training on how to appropriately use all the proecological solutions the scheme has to offer can be organized.
“One has to learn how to effectively use these green solutions. The systems only guarantee the building’s efficiency up to a point. Only by being aware of all aspects of these solutions can you attain maximum comfort for your employees and generate savings for your company. Therefore, we tend to engage our partners’ representatives and employees into the world of sustainable solutions right from the very start. We offer training, information materials, explanations of technical aspects and underline the positive influence of green offices on employee satisfaction and wellbeing,” explains Paweł Paśnikowski.
Skanska Property Poland is currently developing its second investment in Krakow – the Axis office building, located in the city centre. Its construction works were launched in November 2014 and its completion is scheduled for Q4 2016.
Kapelanka 42 was designed by the medusa group architectural studio. Skanska S.A. was the scheme’s general contractor, while Skanska Property Poland is responsible for the complex’s commercialization.