Passport and Gateway, the two new office buildings at Brussels Airport, both have a BREEAM certificate, with the rating respectively of “very good” and “excellent”. This internationally recognised label guarantees the sustainability of buildings based on specifically measurable parameters. In this way, property developer Codic guarantees the best possible environmental performance for both projects.
Our airport is expanding rapidly, and the extension of the Airport Business District is just one example of this. When creating the two office buildings - Passport and Gateway - the property developer Codic sought sustainable solutions. An environmental audit based on BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), established the specific plus-points, so that these could be streamlined to the maximum.
Using the potential to the full
Sustainability covers far more than attention for corporate greenery. The BREEAM method identifies the crucial parameters which together determine the general environmental performance of a building. In the case of Gateway and Passport, focus was largely directed at:
- Mobility: the range of public transport facilities and the cycle network help reduce individual car usage
- Economical use of land: the concentration of office buildings optimises the building density.
- Energy efficiency: the new office buildings are connected to the airport’s central heating network
- Building material: the concrete structure of the former airport building was reused to a large extent for the Gateway building.
- Quality work environment: employees can make use of the many services and shops provided at the airport. The office areas meet the high European standards concerning acoustic comfort.
Brussels Airport continues to look for the best possible sustainable solutions and therefore fully applauds initiatives like these.
Source: Nicolas Goubau, Architect, Senior Advisor Sustainability @ B4F (Building for the Future).