Sustainability consulting for northern Spain's first near-net-zero-energy office building

Greenspace is occupied by startups and other companies committed to innovation and digitalisation, making the net-zero approach an obvious choice to mark it as a new and different location for the area. Arup acted as sustainability consultants guiding the process towards net zero.

From the beginning of the project, Arup advised the design team and the owner on the strategy required to obtain a building that can self-generate all its operational energy, in accordance with the criteria set out in the European directive on the energy efficiency of buildings. The building has a thermo-activated slab powered by high-efficiency heat pumps and chilled water circuits installed in its core, allowing it to be consistently adjusted and offering a comfortable temperature all year round. Among other multiple solutions, Greenspace has a large photovoltaic pergola on the south façade to prevent thermal loads in summer and allowing the building's renewable energy to be self-generated. 

In addition to energy consulting on the design, Arup was also sustainability consultant under the LEED certification criteria to achieve Gold level. Other sustainability criteria for the building include LED lighting with daylighting sensors from north facades, user comfort with natural ventilation, integrated water cycle management control and the installation of a rainwater recycling tank for use in toilets and irrigation. The building’s vision began in 2014 under the LIFE programme of the European Union, and now has tenants occupying a total built area of 1,200 m² distributed in basement, ground floor, two upper floors and a roof level.