It will be a little different than usual today. The turn of the year has the dynamics of change, news, recapitulation. And this is what I want to follow today. So I’m presenting important projects and concepts that are particularly close to my heart recently. I have already written about some of them on my blog, but I also make a promise of completely fresh threads. I would like to invite you to take a little tour of the zone of my interests.
The design and construction company WPIP, of which I am president, is primarily associated with the design and construction of large industrial projects, with monstrous buildings, halls, factories or logistics centers. But WPIP’s activity is not only large-scale realizations, but also equipping facilities with image solutions related to interior architecture, installations, photovoltaics.
And to this area – a more light-hearted and I think more interesting one – I would like to take you today. I start the tour from the place that is my second home, the Smart Building Center (Jasin near Poznań).
Well-being, or comfort
I like comfort, I like to take care of myself, my surroundings and the aesthetics around me. That’s why I like the term well-being so much (the very name has something soothing about it!). This expression has quite recently entered the Polish language and business space. What does it mean? According to Cambridge Dictionary, it is a state in which a person feels healthy, happy and comfortable. And while our lives can’t be comfortable all the time, because, as we know, uniformity and mere pleasures are hard to come by on planet Earth, I believe that making ourselves and others comfortable in places where we spend a lot of time makes tremendous sense. For instance, at work.
This is confirmed by the latest Randstad Employer Brand Research. It shows that in the face of the crisis, potential employees in Poland expect, among other things:
- a friendly work atmosphere (69 percent of indications),
- opportunities for career development (63 percent),
- opportunities to participate in training (53 percent).
In addition, as many as 38 percent of respondents believe that their employer should engage in well-being initiatives.
How do I implement well-being in the workplace? I think pretty well!
Smart Building Center, a unique WPIP headquarters
It will soon be seven years since we designed and built the Smart Building Center in Jasin near Poznan. Our showroom and current headquarters is the first zero-energy industrial and office building with WELL Building Standard® (Silver) certification and LEED certification at the highest Platinum level.
To get a feel for what I’m talking about, it’s best to watch a short video (about 3 minutes) about our headquarters. It shows most of the solutions we implemented to make the building meet the highest standards. Of course, all of them were taken into account when applying for the certifications I mentioned above. Please feel invited!
And here is a rather pictorial summary of the effects. I really like showing this infographic:
When talking about a building, I like to distinguish its elements into visible and invisible. I notice that this strikes the imagination. Those who know me know that I attach great importance to air quality. The Smart Building Center operates an integrated Air-Control System. It is responsible for comprehensively cleaning and filtering the air of all particle sizes, including street dust, biological pollutants, gases and odors, and takes care of the most optimal levels of temperature, relative humidity, C02 concentration, which are extremely important factors for health and well-being and lower employee absenteeism. Humidity in the building reaches 50%.
Below I’ve uploaded some photos that show what else our headquarters hides. Already in the design phase, we tried to soften the office space so that there are associations that it is “more like home than an office”. Bali art and green walls add additional touch.
fot. WPIP
Good information for those who would like to experience with their own eyes, ears and other senses what the Smart Building Center looks like live. The building can be toured!
Dubai, Jasin and the mystery of certification
For a moment we move to Dubai. Or, more precisely, to the Museum of the Future. This is an exhibition space for innovative and futuristic ideologies, services and products in Dubai’s financial district. The Museum of the Future consists of three main elements: a green hill, a building and a void. The building looks very original and is promoted as the most beautiful building in the world.
Why am I writing about it? Because the museum recently boasted that it was the first building in Dubai to be certified by the World Green Building Council, the organization that awarded our showroom LEED certification 7 years ago. Such a little interesting fact😊
Why am I bringing up the topic of certification here? We were wondering why WPIP’s clients didn’t have the need to take advantage of our knowledge of building certification and get the world’s LEED or Well Being certifications for their facility. The answer is simple: not everyone sees the benefits to their business. Certification is unfortunately expensive. In addition, it’s a job of more than 2-2.5 years. It’s also building a team to work on the process of applying for certification. Another problem can be the lack of specific guidelines, which are more of an outline, a certain direction of what needs to be implemented to get certified. You need to achieve zero-energy, energy harvesting, water conservation – for this you need a team, time and money. It seems to me that these are the factors that are effectively keeping you from becoming certified. So how do you get certified?
Planet Friendly Certificate
And this is where the solution comes in.
Planet Friendly Certificate is handled by the Save the planet Research and Development Center (OBiR). It is a multi-criteria, proprietary Planet Friendly Certificate body that works closely with Poznan University of Technology, Poznan University of Economics and many other universities in Poland.
The Planet Friendly Certificate covers not only buildings, but also offices, employers, nonprofit organizations, services, and even food products and cities (yes, that’s even happening now!). This is the only such comprehensive certificate that looks at issues of the planet, its flora and fauna, and human health and safety.
Based on our experience in the process of obtaining LEED and Well Being certificates, we have created a certificate that is unique – it combines what LEED certificate gives (everything related to sustainable building) and Well Being certificate, and additionally includes safety elements that the coronavirus pandemic forced upon us. As a “bonus,” we also have ESG standards, which is the environmental impact of the company’s operations, carbon footprint calculations and the building’s energy efficiency, building life cycle and a few more important aspects.
The prerequisite for receiving a certificate is to meet the criteria-credits set for each certification category determined individually by the Institute. In each category, depending on the number of credits met, it will be possible to apply for the certificate at different levels. The certificate is transparent, that is, you know exactly what areas it applies to, what it was awarded for.
All preliminary details and contacts can be found HERE
First certified facility
Save the planet from Poznań is the first place to be certified by OBiR and to receive the Planet Friendly Certificate at the highest Loving level.
I have mentioned the project itself more than once HERE and HERE.
Save the planet is located in Posnania, which is the largest shopping center in Poznan. It’s a project that is constantly evolving and changing, with the most important core being:
Home&Decor Zone
These are proposals for unique, eco-friendly interior design, design, painting, sculpture, handicrafts from artists from Bali and Poland. It is also inspiration for interior designers and opportunities for B2B and B2C cooperation.
Chill&Restaurant Zone
It is an author’s cuisine with healthy and beautifully served dishes. The menu offers Italian, Spanish, Greek, Portuguese, Indonesian, Asian, Moroccan and, of course, Polish cuisine. Dishes for the convenience of customers have information on the number of calories. Specially adapted rooms guarantee the possibility of meetings and business breakfasts.
Slow Shopping Zone
These are original gift products in an eco-friendly way. Natural cosmetics and perfumes, organic, safe toys as well as delicious food products: homemade bread, healthy cured meats, fish, cheese, homemade preserves in jars, wines, snacks and a whole range of lifestyle accessories.
Creative Studio
This is the perfect place to hold a special event or training. It’s also a space where you can practice yoga and take part in workshops.
The graphic below is a good representation of what Save the planet received the Planet Friendly Certificate for.
water drinking point for workers
biophilic solutions
pet friendly place
antivirus solutions
equipment and decoration of the place
Co2 emissions compensation
RES elements
BMS
Water management
Save the planet attaches great importance to quality, transparency and respect for nature. Everything is clear – even the carbon footprint created during the transportation of products. All materials are free of volatile organic compounds. Products go through a dense sieve of requirements before they hit the shelves.
Finally, I toss the links and invite you to contact me about the certificate and, of course, to visit Save the planet in CH Posnania in Poznan!
Planet Friendly Certificate https://www.obir.pl/certyfikacja/
Save the planet Poznań https://savetheplanet.pl
WPIP – photovoltaics https://wpip.pl/fotowoltaika/
