Poland: Sustainable construction vs. new housing projects
On what scale are environmentally friendly solutions and green infrastructure being incorporated into new housing developments? Does sustainable construction increase the cost of the development? How do such projects balance out through subsequent lower operating costs? Are flats in environmentally friendly developments more likely to be purchased? In which projects do you find the most environmentally friendly solutions?
Tomasz Kaleta, managing director for sales and marketing at Develia:
Greenery on a housing estate is an aspect that is becoming increasingly important for clients, which is also why developers are paying more and more attention to its design. In every project, we try to maintain a balance between the expectations of future residents and what they can pay for, which at the same time does not unreasonably increase the cost of the investment. We realise that greenery is one of the important factors that translates into customers' purchasing decisions. At the same time, it is also worth mentioning pro-environmental solutions, which influence the lower cost of operating a flat in the future. Unfortunately, they generate higher implementation costs and many buyers are still not willing to pay extra for them.
We hope that due to the growing environmental awareness of society, more and more people will look at these solutions as investments. Especially in the context of the tightening technical conditions that developers have to meet. For example, the energy requirements for buildings are already forcing the use of photovoltaic panels in some projects. Our investments that stand out for their particular attention to greenery or ecological solutions include Aleje Praskie in Warsaw, Ceglana Park in Katowice, Przemyska Vita in Gdańsk and Orawska Vita in Wrocław.
Małgorzata Ostrowska, Director of the Marketing and Sales Division at J.W. Construction:
The implementation of investments in the spirit of sustainable construction is one of the strategic development goals for us. On the one hand, building housing estates with a range of environmentally friendly solutions involves higher financial outlays. On the other hand, we rely on building housing estates with wooden prefabricated elements produced in our factory in Tłuszcz, which makes the realisation of these projects much more efficient and faster than with traditional technology, and this means not only saving time but also money.
Our energy-efficient estates have an important common denominator. The technology, materials and solutions used make the buildings we construct virtually zero-emission, and the cost of maintaining such a property is much lower than with regular estates. This is a factor that definitely attracts new customers, although the ecological awareness of buyers is also slowly growing. Hence our growing portfolio of energy-efficient estates. Most of our green investments are in the Mazovia region. It is worth mentioning the Natural Aluzyjna and ECOBerensona estates in the Warsaw district of Białołęka or the final stages of the Villa Campina housing estate near Ożarów Mazowiecki. One of our latest proposals implemented in the spirit of sustainable construction is Apartments on the Hills near Myślenice and Krakow.
Mateusz Bromboszcz, Vice-President of Atal:
Not only the standard of the flats and common areas, but also the way in which the external areas are developed and the greenery on the estates are an important selling point. Especially for younger generations of customers, who pay attention to ecology and environmental sustainability. Although, in the reality of high interest rates and in view of the difficulty of obtaining financing to buy one's own M, price is still a key selection criterion.
We attach great importance to green and cost-saving solutions that allow future residents and communities to reduce operating costs. Numerous solutions in our realisations serve this purpose, such as in the model green housing estate Atal Zacisze Marcelin in Poznań. Elements of such infrastructure include photovoltaic panels, heat pumps and sustainable rainwater drainage systems, such as in the recently launched Atal Zawiślańska Wille Miejskie investment in Gdańsk, where more than half of the area is green.
All this increases the attractiveness of our estates, but at the same time is associated with additional expenditures, which are, however, necessary to meet the requirements of our customers and maintain a high standard and quality. Strict regulations associated with EU directives for energy-efficient and zero-emission buildings are also bound to increase costs. Developers must therefore seek a balance to combine the attractiveness of investments with affordability and, in the near future, also with stringent environmental standards and taxonomy.
Zuzanna Należyta, commercial director at Eco Classic:
We have always tried to provide as much greenery and resident-friendly spaces as possible in our projects. This is more a matter of business ethics and maintaining certain design standards than an economic calculation. More greenery means more extensive development or the need to move traffic under the buildings. This obviously entails higher construction costs and therefore a slightly higher price. These costs, however, pay off for the client at a later date, as they improve the quality of life and increase the value of the property. An example of such an approach is our Gdańsk investment Wolne Miasto, where we have designed low-rise buildings with green patios and recreational areas, which are valued by the residents.
Joanna Chojecka, Sales and Marketing Director for Warsaw and Wrocław at Robryg Group:
Nowadays, sustainable construction is a necessary element to which clients pay a lot of attention. In order to minimise our impact on the environment, we introduced the Robyg Green Standard a few years ago. The standard encompasses both solutions and amenities for customers and guidelines for architects and designers on how to conduct investments in an environmentally responsible manner, counteracting urban heat islands and supporting the fight against climate change.
In our developments, we use such low-carbon solutions as installation control system, automation, photovoltaics, lifts with energy recovery, electric chargers, LED lighting in common areas, weather control in the boiler room, heat meters in the rooms, 3-pane glazing, sun blinds, motion/dusk sensors in common areas.
Residential buildings are equipped with windows to reduce heat consumption and building envelope insulation of the highest quality, efficient ventilation, cooling and heating systems and energy management.
We strive to build in such a way as to minimise our impact on biodiversity, while carrying out comprehensive measures to compensate for our negative impact. We have implemented 51,374 m2 of green roofs, planted 4,697 trees and 135,895 m2 of shrubs. 27 of our estates have rainwater drainage systems for greenery in common areas.
Karolina Bronszewska, Director of Marketing and Innovation at Ronson Development:
We highly value the idea of sustainable development. We are aware that the construction industry is highly carbon-intensive, which is why we pay a lot of attention to ensuring that the environmental impact of our activities and investments is as low as possible. We notice that for customers, ecological solutions in investments are increasingly important. They are starting to think about the purchase of a flat on a long-term basis, also in terms of future maintenance costs. Therefore, we adhere to the principles of sustainable housing in our projects, introducing innovative and ecological solutions.
The measures we take are aimed at reducing water and energy consumption, especially in the area of servicing the common parts of the property. Each of our developments has a package that, depending on the project, includes various solutions. These include photovoltaic panels, recuperation systems, storage tanks, electric car charging stations and LED lighting installed in lifts and stairwells. In addition, residents have access to a smart home system.
The projects also do not forget about the large amount of greenery, including avenues of trees and flower beds, which not only add to the beauty, but also reduce CO2 levels, improve the microclimate and provide cooler conditions in summer.
In our portfolio, an example of a pro-environmental development is Nova Królikarnia, a place of close relationship with nature, where houses have been designed with modern and energy-efficient technology. The design includes a heating system based on a hybrid heat pump, combined with a gas boiler that automatically starts when the temperature is below 5°C. In addition, to ensure a healthy indoor environment, we have incorporated an air filtration system in each house that eliminates allergens and pollutants through the use of recuperation. Selected buildings are also distinguished by their green roofs, which act as additional thermal insulation. The estate has its own park and the biologically active area around the development is 60%.
Source: dompress.pl
Photo: Osiedle Orawska Vita, Develia
