The Port of Barcelona has a 150-year history and a great contemporary commercial importance as one of Europe's major ports in the Mediterranean. It is also Spain's third and Europe's ninth largest container port, with a trade volume of 3.42 million TEUs in 2018.
The port, with its 7.86 km2 divided into three zones (Port Vell, the commercial / industrial port and the logistics port), is managed by the Port Authority of Barcelona (Wikipedia).
The ZAL Port is the intermodal logistics platform of the Port of Barcelona (light blue hatch within Figure 1), generating maritime traffic with logistics infrastructure services and added value to the merchandise. A true logistics hub and an economic engine of the city. The logistics development of the ZAL Port is managed by CILSA (Centro Intermodal de Logística, S.A.) which has a team committed to the objectives of the ZAL Port, experts in the sector.
Several buildings within Zal Port are fully sustainable and LEED certified. LEED is a third-party designation that verifies a building is designed and built using strategies and materials to maximize sustainability. LEED-certified buildings are designed and constructed with a focus on energy savings, water efficiency, reduced carbon emissions and improved indoor air quality.
The cold store warehouse BZ.1, is a LEED Gold Certified building. This very sustainable warehouse (Figure 2) is 16,857 m2 in size, is highly energy-efficient, with the building’s envelope carefully designed and all M&E selected appropriately. The location within the Zal Port made the building highly sustainable also in terms of alternative transportation.
The Decathlon Continental Supply Center was constructed during the COVID pandemic, is another example of LEED certified building within the Zal Port. The building is the distribution center of the largest brand in Europe, that distributes its products to regional warehouses in the southern European region. The entire project has been developed with the Building Information Modeling (BIM) methodology, which has allowed the developers to anticipate decisions on site and to have a much more precise execution control, particularly over the green building elements The building obtained a LEED Platinum certification, becoming the 4th industrial building in the world with this qualification and the one with the highest score within the warehouse and logistics sector. Several other warehouses within the Zal Port are also LEED certified.
The A.35 is a distribution facility owned by Carrefour, and is a further example of LEED certified building within the Zal Port. It has a floor area of some 18215 m2 and has also obtained a LEED Gold certification (Left in the figure below. Another building within the ZAL Port that is LEED certified is the BZ.A1.2, the first of UPS’s facility in Europe to be LEED certified (right in the figure below). The facility is some 24,810 m2 in size.
How does a LEED certification benefit its owner?
The benefits of owning a LEED certified warehouse are many. First, as for all other certified non-residential buildings, the users / workers will work within a healthy environment, so at a high productivity’s standard. Also, the LEED certification shows that an owner is serious about using environmentally responsible building practices, enhancing the company’s reputation, and helping to become a leader in the industry. Additionally, with more companies taking an interest in green technology, LEED certification makes your warehouse or facility more attractive to tenants. There are also financial benefits to becoming LEED certified: LEED buildings retain higher property values, have faster lease-up rates, and may qualify for a host of incentives, like tax rebates and zoning allowances.
What is the cost of a LEED certification?
Direct and indirect costs need to be kept into account for any LEED certification.
LEED registration includes a flat fee, paid up front with rates based on the fee schedule published at the time. An expedited review would also increase the cost, if requested. The certification costs are based on the project’s rating system and size. This will be calculated and paid when the project documentation is submitted for review via LEED Online. An overview of the LEED fees can be found at https://www.usgbc.org/tools/leed-certification/fees.
In addition to that, there are indirect costs of meeting the LEED requirements to be considered. Approximately an increase of 2% of the costs should be accounted for building green buildings, this varying depending on the size and complexity of the project and whether developing a new construction or renovating an existing building. However, these costs can usually be recouped through increased rents and lower bills during the lifespan of the building. This is a large financial benefit which is only released over the building life. Finally, at least one LEED AP needs to be employed by the developer / client, in order to encourage the team integration required by a LEED project and to streamline the application and certification process.
What are the minimum requirements for LEED Certification?
All projects applying for LEED certification must meet a set of minimum program requirements to determine project eligibility for LEED.
Buildings projects pursuing LEED v4-v4.1 certification must:
1. Be in a permanent location on existing land
2. Use reasonable LEED boundaries
3. Comply with project-size requirements
Full details on minimum requirements for LEED certification can be found at https://www.usgbc.org/leed-tools/minimum-program-requirements.
References
https://www.usgbc.org/projects/
Comentários