Torsplan 2

BREEAM Award Commercial 2016

Shortlisted for BREEAM Award Office 2016

Sustainability Award at the Swedish Concrete Gala 2016

The work with BREEAM spans the entire project: from the early stages through design, from production to inspection and finally to the delivery of the finished building. The environmental certification has from early in the process led to increased consideration on a variety of decisions and system options hereby giving a better and more thought-out final product. BREEAM has become part of a common vision within the partnering work and has become a quality assurance throughout the project. It has also contributed to an increased commitment between the partners where good environmental ideas are taken all the way from the drawing board to the finished building without being compromised or forgotten along the way.

The building has a heavy concrete structure providing good thermal storage capability which in turn reduces the building’s energy use and reduces the power supplier’s peak loads. The heavy structure also mitigates temperature variation throughout the day giving a more comfortable indoor climate. Energy use is further reduced with efficient LED lighting. The building is heated by district heating which produces lower emissions of greenhouse gases compared to other equivalent means of heating. In another innovative solution, the heating of the garage is by means of extract air from the office and retail parts of the project, resulting in less need for district heating.

Material for the building is chosen with great care and to minimize the amount used it has been constructed with a prefabricated frame and facade along with a high performance insulation. Exposed parts of the building are protected to reduce the need for maintenance and interior partition systems are used to easily allow for adaptation of the building in the future. In the early stage, the project team established contact with a building materials supplier who created a special inventory for the project. Through a collaborative effort, the project could ensure that all timber purchased was FSC- or PEFC-certified throughout the entire supply chain. This applies both for the wood used in the construction process and for built-in materials. During the purchasing of other materials, suppliers were assessed and products that were responsibly manufactured and sourced were preferred.

During the construction process, the project used green electricity to power energy-efficient CTX-office cabins as well as fuel-efficient vehicles, tools and machines. Great focus has also been put into the recycling of construction waste. The project recycled all but one of key waste groups and in doing so greatly limited the amount of material which was sent to the landfill. In addition, a waste compactor is to be installed to minimize waste shipments from the building and the project offers a refrigerated room where waste for composting/anaerobic digestion is to be stored until delivery. The waste generated by each of the tenants is weighed and catalogued and tenants are charged based on the weight of the materials they produce.

On the roof terrace of the building, a sedum green roof contributes to a more comfortable microclimate. The green roof also helps to reduce local surface water runoff and reduce load on the storm water system during heavy rainfall. The sedum roof will be sown on site to maximize biodiversity. The roof also has a running track and an outdoor gym.

Charging stations for electric cars will be installed in the garage and the elevators are equipped with regenerative elevator drives which regenerate electricity as they are used. Toilets and showers are equipped with low-flow faucets. Water is metered so as to monitor use in the respective premises.

The project achieved a high number of credits through the promotion of sustainable modes of transport. The building offers 200 bicycle parking spaces in a preferred location (indoors at ground level) and the option of having changing facilities and showers within each of the tenant's premises. Building users who do not cycle to work can easily travel to the building by metro, commuter train and/or bus. Eventually a new metro station will be built under the building, with direct access into Torsplan phase 2.

Achieving BREEAM Outstanding is a challenge in Sweden. This is partly because of the country’s cold climate but also because of the already stringent demands of the Swedish Building Code (BBR) with regards to energy. To achieve better results than national best practice requires smart system selection, good planning and innovative solutions. Energy calculations show that the building will achieve lower energy use than the national best practice. Sweden also has very stringent regulations for noise reduction. Torsplan phase 2 is located near the most heavily trafficked highway in Sweden. As such, provision of a good acoustic environment within the building proved to be a particular challenge.

In order to achieve the BREEAM certification, demands are also placed upon future tenants. These demands are represented in the leasing agreements and have an impact on the resource efficiency of their businesses. For example, through more efficient showers which reduce water usage. Another example is that, within the offices, future tenants will have integrated staff areas within their facilities to improve the working environment for their employees.