The project, promoted by Logistik Service, will receive LEED v4 GOLD certification, making it the first logistics platform in the world to achieve LEED V4 GOLD Warehouse and Distribution Centers certification. Such certification adapts to the particularities of logistics projects by promoting sustainability measures tailored to this type of construction.
LEED Warehouse and Distribution Centers
Getafe, Madrid: The logistics park aspires to be the first LEED V4 GOLD certified warehouse, placing special emphasis on energy efficiency, user comfort and life cycle analysis of materials; but above all it should be noted that it does so taking into account the particularities of logistics projects, which are included in the new LEED certification Warehouse and Distribution Centers.
The new LEED scheme for warehouses takes into account specific aspects of this type of buildings such as the proximity to freight transport routes, the location of the site, energy saving measures for trucks, natural ventilation devices in unconditioned areas, etc.
The project has been developed from the beginning with the advice of Zero Consulting and the excellent design and construction work of Logistik Service, to achieve high environmental objectives and ensure that these are compatible with a refined design, tight construction deadlines, and advantageous solutions for the future occupants of the building; all without incurring unnecessary cost overruns.
Main characteristics of the building
Logistik Gavilanes is a platform with an area of approximately 40,000 m2 built on a plot of 60,000 m2, perfectly located. It is located in the Los Gavilanes Industrial Estate in Getafe, less than 20 km from the centre of Madrid and connected to the main communication routes with the rest of the territory (M-50, A-4 and R-4) and the Getafe Industrial C-3 train station (5 km) which allows intermodal transport.
The warehouse has been designed to allow mixed storage, being prepared for cold and dry goods, thus being an ideal building for the distribution of online supermarkets.
The construction is divided into six sections of varying sizes, which can be rented independently or jointly, and can be adapted according to the needs of the clients. Each unit has its own offices and facilities for the accessibility of heavy vehicles from all sides.
Comfort and energy efficiency, two basic priorities
Measures adopted in the Warehouse
With an area of 37,600 m2, the warehouse has a roof with 8 cm of insulation and automatic systems that allow natural ventilation, ensuring thermal comfort in the absence of HVAC. The roof has semi-transparent smoke vents that allow natural lighting throughout the entire warehouse. These vents are equipped with wind and rain sensors to close when necessary.
Artificial lighting is achieved using LED technology with a colour rendering index (CRI) of 80 to ensure optimal visual comfort and guaranteed 200 lumens at 80 cm from the floor. Natural and artificial lighting are perfectly combined through lighting and presence sensors, thus achieving significant energy savings in the main consumption of any logistic warehouse.
Measures adopted in offices
The offices have an area of 2,400m2, distributed between an annex entrance building and mezzanine spaces in each warehouse, all spaces are permanently occupied and therefore have HVAC and ventilation equipment. The ventilation has been designed to ensure high air quality through CO2 sensors and a 30% increase in minimum ventilation flow rates, which allows for increased productivity ratios and reduced workplace absenteeism.
To achieve a reduction in the building's energy consumption, the envelope and the enclosures of the HVAC spaces have insulation that is 20% better than the minimum requirements of the CTE, and the HVAC system is implemented using high energy efficiency VRV technology. This not only results in greater energy savings, but also has a significant impact on occupant comfort, as it notably improves thermal comfort.
Regarding the lighting, as in the warehouse, all the luminaires are LED type with a colour rendering index of 80 and incorporate natural light sensors and presence sensors.
The layout of the rooms inside the building has been designed to maximise the use of sunlight and to ensure that all occupants have direct views of the outside from their workstations. The central area of the building is reserved for rooms such as changing rooms or stairs, which have lower occupancy.
A thorough study has been conducted to select those materials that allow for optimal interior sound quality. Acoustic false ceilings have been installed and improvements have been made to the construction solutions to maximise insulation and reduce the reverberation time of the rooms, as well as with the exterior. In addition, more than 20% of the platform's energy consumption is covered by the installed photovoltaic solar panels.
With all the above measures, the building has demonstrated a 39.62% reduction compared to a baseline building as defined by ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers), thus securing the first 15 points of the LEED V4 Warehouse and Distribution Centers certification.
Furthermore, with measures like these, the well-being of workers who will enjoy a clean environment and quality air is increased. Prior to the occupation of the building, a purge is planned in order to eliminate possible pollutant residues in the indoor air climate, as indicated in the indoor air quality plan drawn up for the construction process. It should also be mentioned that there is a monitoring system in place to prevent external pollutants from entering the building.
Low environmental impact materials
Increasingly, the analysis of the energy required to manufacture construction materials is becoming more important when evaluating the environmental impact of buildings. For this reason, a building Life Cycle Analysis has been carried out, prioritizing materials that have an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). This document informs us of the emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants related to the extraction, transport of raw materials and the manufacturing process of the materials. The good choice of construction materials and the good management of resources have added 13 LEED points to this project.
In addition, the emissions of formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds from the chosen materials are a very important aspect to be taken into account. This, along with the 30% increase in ventilation compared to the regulations, directly impacts preserving the health of workers and improving occupant comfort by increasing productivity and reducing absenteeism.
On the other hand, it is important to highlight the effort made both during the construction phase and during the building use phase to improve the management of all generated waste.
In this case, during the construction phase, paper, cardboard, plastic, metals, wood, debris, gypsum board, PIR insulation, concrete, and ceramic waste have been recycled. To this end, a monitoring process has been carried out throughout the management, using an online platform that allows for the collection of all waste delivery notes and tracking through weekly photographs to verify the implementation of the measures.
During the building use, a storage space for properly separated waste is planned, both in offices and in the warehouse.
Other additional specific measures for this type of projects
Devices to reduce contracted power
The building has devices that allow adapting the maximum power demand to the contracted power. To achieve this, certain consumptions such as charging the batteries of electric forklifts have been scheduled to be distributed over time in combination with other consumptions. With this, the contracted power can be reduced by 10%, which represents a significant economic saving.
Power outlets in docks
The warehouse has been equipped with power outlets for heavy vehicles at the loading docks. These outlets allow transport vehicles to stop the engine while loading tasks are performed and continue using cabin equipment such as microwaves, portable air conditioning, portable heater, etc. with the truck engine off.
Energy monitoring system
The future occupants of the building will have online software to monitor the main energy consumptions of the warehouse, offices, interior and exterior lighting, which will allow them to check the results of all the proposed energy savings measures.
Conclusions
There is an undeniable trend to prioritize the comfort of users by developers and end customers of the buildings. Developers or owners see the value of their properties increase in proportion to the measures taken in this direction, and buildings are therefore in greater demand, especially by multinational companies concerned with attracting talent and promoting the well-being and comfort of their workers.
Recently, various studies have been published showing that sustainable building and building design focused on user well-being improve their performance and reduce absenteeism. Aspects such as air quality, lighting, or visual comfort are becoming much more important than they were a few years ago.
Sustainable certifications are a way to demonstrate that these parameters have been taken into account, how and to what extent. Certification tools are working to improve in this direction, and new labels are even appearing that focus exclusively on it, such as the new Certificate WELL, which focuses exclusively on comfort and wellbeing aspects.
