LEED certification
The Galeria Północna is setting new standards in environmental protection. GTC-owned Galeria Północna has received LEED certification at the Gold level.
LEED certification is a system that supports the creation of healthy, efficient and cost-effective ‘green’ buildings. The main objective of the rating system is to promote environmental protection and ecological solutions, such as saving energy, water and natural resources, producing less waste and protecting health. The above standards have also been applied to the Galeria Północna, which not only provides a shopping experience, but also brings people together in their leisure time.
The main advantage of this development is the green roof garden, which serves as a recreational area with a spacious playground. This is one of the biggest attractions of the shopping centre. The roof also has ecological benefits as it contributes to reducing the urban heat island phenomenon, reducing energy consumption and absorbing carbon dioxide.
In the certification process, the Galeria Północna was awarded for reducing water consumption by 45%, twice the standard required. This is thanks, among others, to a rainwater management system for irrigation, and to plants adapted to the local environment with a minimised need for water intake. What’s more, solutions to reduce electricity consumption have also been used in the Galeria Północna. Equipment with a high degree of energy efficiency has been used in the facility.
The Galeria Północna was planned from the outset as a multifunctional and environmentally friendly space. It sets a standard for other developments, showing how the needs of residents and the environment can be taken care of. Its inclusive design and close cooperation between the Investor, the design team, the general contractor and LEED consultants made it possible to create one of the largest shopping centres in Poland with the lowest possible impact on the environment.
The stringent requirements of the LEED Gold certification standards imposed on the Galeria Północna the need not only for ecological design, but also for performing the necessary analyses of energy sustainability, including tracking material supply routes, analysing the composition of materials used for construction works and their certificates. An extensive energy model confirmed the high efficiency of the equipment used. We used equipment guaranteeing energy recovery of 90% and introduced solutions to radically reduce the amount of heat emitted.
In addition, one of the project’s requirements was to reduce the amount of waste generated during the construction of the building. The general contractor was required to avoid landfilling more than 75% of waste. By incorporating LEED requirements into the project at an early stage and providing clear guidelines to the team, the investment managed to achieve Gold certification in the LEED rating system.
First shopping centre with such a roof garden
Gardens on the roofs of shopping centres are mainly to be seen abroad. Neither in Warsaw nor in any other city in Poland could such an investment be found in a shopping centre. The roof garden in Galeria Północna was the first one in Poland!
The space is huge covering about 5 thousand square metres. The garden is also available to residents of Warsaw on non-shopping Sundays.
