The EU has been a global leader in green building standards, ESG frameworks and sustainability initiatives that have ensured global compliance. Madrid is one such EU city that has architectural history, a vibrant nightlife scene and is home to the ARQBOREA building that is at the forefront of EU & Spain’s green building initiatives. Spain is a country known for its iconic beaches, work life balance and culture it is shifting into the 21st century with a revitalization of sustainability and green spaces.
ARQBOREA is located in the Las Tablas neighborhood and is a landmark office building that has been designed to the highest sustainability standards such as LEED, WELL, WiredScore and the International Accessibly Certified councils. The building has 15,790 meters squared of office space over 5 floors above ground with 450 parking spaces below ground with space for electric vehicles, scooters and bicycles. The building was originally certified to LEED v3 BD+C: Core and Shell in 2009 and re-certified in 2021 at the Platinum level and obtained a WELL Heath- Safety Rating certification and a Platinum Well Shell & Core certification. This building was conceived by the Ortiz Lean Architecture studio and incorporates vegetation into the design of the building to help occupants to connect with nature on a daily basis.
Some of the amenities that are provided in this building are a rooftop, gyn, collaborative spaces with a cafeteria and restaurant service called “The Corner by DO EAT!”. ARQBOREA was the first building in Spain to obtain the WiredScore and SmartScore Platinum certifications that are globally recognized for their connection globally. Most interestingly, this building achieved a 5-star accessibility rating for Accessibility Indicator System that is the “first Voluntary Harmonized Accessibility Standards System, which conceives accessibility in an integral manner and as another dimension of social responsibility”. Having this certification shows how important building accessibility, accessibility services and DEI is the companies and owners of the building as DEI services are currently under attack in many countries.
The WELL Heath-Safety rating is an annual rating that helps to empower owners and operators to take steps “in order to prioritize the health and safety of their staff, visitors and stakeholders” (WELL website). More than 600 experts from the COVID-19 task force helped to address the well-being of people that occupy buildings and is an indication of confidence and trust. This certification was created by the International Well Building Institute to oversee the advancement of health in buildings and spaces for strategies that include: cleaning and sanitization procedures, emergency preparedness programs, health service resources, air an water quality management and stakeholder engagement.
Within the LEED scorecard having obtained the Platinum certification ARQBOREA obtained an overall 90 out of a possible 110 points. The only category that this building struggled in was the Energy & Atmosphere category where they achieved 33 out of a possible 55 points. In the Optimize Energy Performance category they achieved 19 out of a possible 21 points and missed the two points for the Green Power category and some of this is due to the reevaluation of the category in the newer versions of LEED as well. However, they where able to make up for this in the Water Efficiency category with 8 out of 10 points and in the Sustainable Sites category receiving 24 out of 28 points. Within the Regional Priority credits they where able to achieve points for: measurement and verification-tenant sub-metering, water efficient landscaping, innovative wastewater technology and water use reduction. ARQBOREA also achieved an additional 4 points for Innovation in design and a point for LEED Accredited Professional.
WiredScore certifications helps landlords and developers create better digital connectivity in their buildings to help attract and retain the occupiers of the buildings while delivering tools and data needed for modern technology. As we all know, reliable and effective connectivity is vital for employees and occupants of a building to be able to support digital infrastructure for buildings long term development. Ways in which this certification are measured are through: reliance, future readiness, mobile coverage, choice of providers and user experience. These categories help to measure current digital capabilities while assessing the ability for the building to adapt to future technology and quality of the user experience.
Interested in learning more?
WELL Health-Safety Rating: https://support.wellcertified.com/hc/en-us/articles/25650228264087-WELL-Health-Safety-Rating-overview#zp-2-0
LEED Scorecard: https://www.usgbc.org/projects/arqborea-inteligente-por-naturaleza
WiredScore Certification: https://wiredscore.com/certify-a-building/wiredscore/wiredscore-office/
Accessibility Standards System: https://aiscertificacion.com/en/who-we-are/system-fundamentals/