A green warehouse, pure profit

“Design a building that makes optimal use of natural resources, supports environmental conservation, and effectively withstands the effects of climate change and the passage of time. An impossible task? Not only is it possible, but it’s also increasingly sought after by clients,” says Edyta Knap, an architect at 7R.

Legislators and market regulators around the world are imposing new environmental and social requirements on businesses. The EU is leading the way in this regard through its European Green Deal socioeconomic strategy. One of its 10 key areas is resource- and energy-efficient construction and renovation.

Buildings account for a large share of global greenhouse gas emissions, but they also contribute to achieving other sustainability goals, such as clean energy production (renewable energy), the transition to a circular economy, and the preservation of biodiversity. They also face increasingly unpredictable forces of nature and serve as an inspiration for the development of new, green technologies.

Net profit  

So the stakes are high for designers as well.

What’s at stake? According to the developer’s calculations, solar panels on the roof of a 20,000-square-meter warehouse could cover as much as 60 percent of the building’s daily energy needs. In turn, improved water management—including the use of graywater and rainwater, as well as monitoring consumption and leaks—can help save up to 2,400 liters of water per day in a facility of this size. A smart LED lighting system will consume 90% less energy, and destratifiers that draw warm air from beneath the ceiling down to the lower parts of the building will yield nearly 10% savings on heating, as will sealing the loading docks.

But resource and cost savings aren’t the only benefits. 7R’s solutions also support clients’ other environmental goals. Smog-reducing towers purify the air outside buildings. Water retention is also managed on rooftops and around facilities by creating so-called rain gardens, infiltration ditches, and dry streams—that is, natural or artificial depressions in the ground where groundwater and rainwater can accumulate. Meanwhile, flower meadows and insect houses, among other things, help preserve biodiversity, particularly in urban areas.

The Zero Era  

Today, a prudent client or warehouse investor considers not only the facility’s impact on its surroundings, but also the impact the surroundings will have on the facility in the future.

Customers appreciate this commitment. Żabka, for whom 7R is building an innovative distribution center in Radzymin, will draw its energy from solar panels and will benefit from features such as anti-smog towers and dust-free paving stones in the maneuvering area. The facility near Kraków for the BWI Group will provide power, heating, cooling, and ventilation for the building using only a gas furnace in a trigeneration system.  “ We are moving toward self-sufficient, zero-emission warehouses, entirely powered by renewable energy. That is why, in the future, we will, among other things, combine several sources of renewable energy, offering not only photovoltaic panels but also heat pumps or, for example, vertical wind turbines, ” says Edyta Knap.

A green future brings not only challenges but also new opportunities for architects. For now, for example, the construction of warehouses with rooftop solar panels requires additional structural reinforcement, but the technology is advancing rapidly.   “New materials for building roofs and facades are emerging that already have built-in photovoltaic cells. This will give us even more possibilities,” adds the architect from 7R.