Office Building Nordica Ostrava

The Nordica Ostrava building offers 12.000 sqm of quality office space in the centre of Ostrava. Design of the building reflects the Nordic values, quality and sensitive approach to the environment.

Nordica is the first new administrative building with an environment accent, attested by the European Commission’s GreenBuilding certification, bestowed for the very first time to a development in the Czech Republic for energy efficiency. The building has – according to calculations – 30% lower consumption than is required by the Czech norms.

The Nordica Ostrava office building has been constructed in Ostrava, eastern Czech Republic, and was the first building in the country to be certified according to the energy efficiency demands of the European Union’s Green Building Programme.

The Nordica Ostrava office building is situated in the centre of Ostrava, which is the third largest city in the Czech Republic. The seven-storey building is named after the Nordic-style architecture that influenced the building’s light façade and timber window frames. Simplistic architectural features typical of the region were also incorporated into the building’s design, which was led by a famous Ostrava-born architect.

There were no accidents on site between 2007 and 2008 and the Lost Time Accident Rate for the project was zero. Skanska’s standard safety procedures were followed, which are more rigorous than Czech safety regulations. Safety measures were followed up by the project managers and verified by an independent safety consultant from Sweden.

Community engagement

Green education activities

The Green Building Programme criteria promoted the use of cost-effective measures that have enhanced the energy efficiency of the Nordica Ostrava building. Skanska Property Czech Republic has set a new benchmark for energy efficient office buildings in the Czech Republic, and plans to build on their experience to construct more energy efficient properties in the future.

Construction employment
Between 120 and 150 construction workers have been involved in the project. Some of the workforce was from Ostrava, although a significant proportion was from other Czech cities and neighbouring Slovakia. Efficiency savings for tenants The Nordica Ostrava building consumes over 30 percent less energy than Czech energy consumption standards. Tenants can consequently expect to make significant operational savings and
electricity consumption is individually metered to encourage further savings.

Local economic development
The Nordica Ostrava building has attracted companies, jobs and investment into central
Ostrava. The Ostrava region has failed to attract  significant amounts of external investment as other Czech cities have done in recent years. However, the city is attracting increasing interest from investors, who can benefit from regional state subsidies.

Nordica Ostrava was the first building in the Czech Republic to be certified according to the European Union’s Green Building Programme, which is a voluntary initiative aimed at improving the energy efficiency of n on-residential buildings in Europe. A building must consume at least 25 percent less energy than a country’s national standards demand
to qualify. Skanska Property Czech Republic is a partner of the Green Building Programme.

Bioremediation of contaminated land

The site was contaminated with aromatic hydrocarbons and oil compounds prior to construction. Bioremediation was used to treat
approximately 970 tons of contaminated soil by introducing microorganisms that can break down the specific contaminants and help return the soil to its natural state. The bioremediation technique allowed the contaminated soils to be restored and
reused in the project, and reduced the need to obtain and transport replacement fill material to the site.

Minimising environmental impacts during construction
Low-emission site equipment was used to reduce air pollution and the surrounding roads were cleaned to minimise airborne dust in the city. Water pollution was avoided by filtering water from site excavations before discharging it into the municipal drainage system. Disturbance from noisy activities such as metal sheeting installation
was minimised by working around the wishes of site neighbours and avoiding early morning and late night activities. Special metal sheeting machines were also used to reduce the level of potentially disruptive ground vibrations.

Waste management
All recyclable construction waste was sorted on site and recycled accordingly off-site. Some of the existing concrete structures on site were crushed to create a sub base layer for the temporary site construction offices. Soil and gravel that was excavated were reused as backfill on the site following bioremediation. Environmentally responsible
construction materials Skanska Property Czech Republic does not permit the use of hazardous or toxic substances, and non-toxic materials and substances were used
throughout the project.Water-cooled chillers with R-134a refrigerants are used in the building, which are chlorine-free and do not contain halogen, ammonium or hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs).Materials with recycled content included
a material made from 100 percent recycled plastic, which was used to reinforce the grass paving around the building to promote ground stability and optimal drainage. All tropical timber used on the project was Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.

Energy efficiency
The Nordica Ostrava building has an annual energy consumption of 86 kWh/m2, compared to a typical office building in the Czech Republic, which consumes around 150 kWh/m2 per year. The façade, roof and windows were designed to minimise heat loss to a greater degree than a conventional building in the Czech Republic. The building has a low-speed airflow ventilation system with a Specific Fan Power (SFP)-factor of less than

2 kW/m3/s, and space occupancy sensors that ensure efficient ventilation. The ventilation system is also equipped with a heat recovery system, which recovers and reuses over 70 percent of the energy from exhaust air. The outgoing air from the offices is used to ventilate the underground car parking levels following heat recovery. High efficiency and
low emission boilers were selected and efficient chillers and cooling systems have been used that are controlled by specially developed software. Incoming fresh air into the ventilation system is first passed through an underground duct system with a relatively constant annual temperature, which naturally cools the air in summer and warms it in winter. The building is equipped with efficient lighting and an internal glass atrium
reduces the need for artificial lighting by ensuring that natural light penetrates the building. Sunlightcontrolled external sunshades on the façade block out sunlight, and reduce excessive solar gain and the need for cooling in the summer.

Certifications and green

Certifications

• EU Green Building

You will find here all press releases related to Nordica Ostrava project.