The building is located in the Aviatiei neighbourhood, in the northern area of Bucharest. The site was previously occupied by a 70 year old bread factory. LIDL Romania aimed to achieve the highest BREEAM rating in Romania and within the LIDL‘s portfolio worldwide. The retail store has an area of 2646sqm and was designed to become a landmark in terms of sustainability.

Targeting BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ for the first time in Romania, this project was very challenging and all credits were addressed with 100% involvement. It required a lot of work and involvement from all members of the project team (client, architect, civil and MEP engineers and external consultants).

The project performed well at MAN, WAT and MAT where reached 100% of the available credits. For HEA, ENE, LE and POL were achieved over 88% of the available credits. Several credits were lost for WST and TRA issues due to local legislation interdiction to use recycled aggregates within concrete and the limited number of public transport nodes that are available near site without the possibility to supplement them even if the project team tried to negotiate with the public transport company.

The following green initiative solutions were implemented:

• Indoor air quality was addressed in the project by using products (paints, adhesives, materials) with ultra-low or no VOC content. To reduce VOC release within the building the sprinkler pipes were painted by main contractor outside the construction site. CO2 sensors are installed to insure a healthy environment.

• Energy efficiency was addressed by incorporating 1200sqm of PV panels on the building roof. The PV system cover more than 50% of the annual overall building consumption (industrial refrigeration included). R290 Hybrid heat pump are installed to cover HVAC demands. High COPs are achieved by using heat rejected from the industrial refrigeration and IT room chiller.
  High performance heat recovery installed in AHUs and CO2 sensors ensure energy efficiency of the ventilation system.

• The BMS monitor consumptions and transmit data to a 24h monitored platform. Any abnormal activity is signalled, and facility management team is appointed to remediate defect. A ticket system is implemented that allow the building occupier to highlight any abnormal functionality.

• Sustainable transport is supported by five EV car chargers are implemented onsite with free charging for public use available onsite to reduce the transport impact for visitors. Cycle racks with video surveillance are placed near the building entrance.
  Dedicated parking spaces for disabled persons and mother with child are near the entrance.

• Water consumption reduced by 73.81% using low water fixtures and rainwater reuse onsite.

• 100% FSC/PEFC certified timber was used during the construction stage. Timber suppliers certified themselves for this project to complete the chain-of-custody.

• Construction waste diverted from landfill reached 84% by implementing onsite recycling procedures.

• Impact of refrigerants was minimised by using only R290. The industrial refrigeration, heat pumps and IT chiller are using R290 refrigerant with a GWP. The heat pumps with R290 are implemented for the first time in Romania.

• Landscaping of the green areas were preserved, and the area was increased during the development by 55.84% from 2006sqm to 3126sqm.

The project performed well at MAN, WAT and MAT where reached 100% of the available credits. For HEA, ENE, LE and POL were achieved over 88% of the available credits. Several credits were lost for WST and TRA issues due to local legislation interdiction to use recycled aggregates within concrete and the limited number of public transport nodes that are available near site without the possibility to supplement them even if the project team tried to negotiate with the public transport company.

MAT and HEA issues
Since the concept design the client allocated resources to find suppliers for required materials that comply to BREEAM requirements in terms of manufacturing certificates and VOC and formaldehyde content to achieve all achievable credits. 3^rd party laboratory for VOC and formaldehyde tests were identified in Hungary because there is no accredited lab for formaldehyde testing in Romania.

Construction site management issues
Since the tendering stage requirements were formulated in the tendering documentation. All credits for MAN02 and MAN03 were imposed for the main contractor. Based on their experience and professionalism Skanska Construction Romania managed to cover with success all site related issues. The level 2 IR thermography test was made by a level 3 assessor.  All requirements in checklist A1 were implemented and monitored overtime.

ENE01
The client agreed to implement for the first time in Romania PV panels on the roof (1200sqm of PV panels). The first time in Romania a R290 hybrid heat pump was installed. For low consumption and high thermal comfort of the occupants a underfloor heating system was installed.

WAT issues
Low water fixtures were selected and a rainwater tank for reusing water within the building was implemented reducing the potable water usage with more than 73%.

WST issues
The main contractor managed to reach over 80% diversion from landfill by implementing sorting and recycling procedures onsite. The most important changes in the project were taken based on optimisation and the questionnaire response provided by the retail store’s employers collected anonymously. The changes were as follows:

• Food serving room and relaxing space (implemented at first floor)

• Showers (first time implemented in Romania) and cycle racks;

• Glare reduction system controlled by BMS based on daylight intensity sensor.

All of these benefits helped to secure the highest BREEAM rating. Reflecting on the success of the project, Grigore Priguza, Project Manager at LIDL Romania, shared “This project is a lesson learned for us and we are going to implement the findings in our future projects because the running costs are lower and the feedbacks received from the visitors, employs and facility management team are positive. BREEAM certification provides the most transparent sustainability benchmark available for any developer.”