The topic of sustainable construction has currently become a guideline for all investment activities. At the same time, for years it has been one of the main points of interest for Horizone Studio architects. We have been building our experience in this matter for years, among others while working abroad, where the philosophy of designing according to the so-called principle of triple responsibility (environmental, social and economic) has been present for a long time. Therefore, solutions characteristic of green buildings are naturally present in the projects created by our office.
Horizone Studio was one of the founding companies of PLGBC Polish Green Building Council in 2009. From 2014 to the present, we have served on the PLGBC Board of Directors and have been involved as experts in numerous initiatives of the association.
The Polish Green Building Association is a non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting sustainable design, construction and use in Poland and is the Polish representative of the World Green Building Council. For years Horizone Studio has been initiating and as a partner joining discussions, conferences, teaching and promoting the idea of sustainable building design. Working with PLGBC, we create standards for green design. We are co-authors of two reports “Healthy Green Offices ‘dedicated to work space, ’Green Home” certification dedicated to guidelines and evaluation of green residential buildings, and we are the author of one of the chapters of the PWN book “Sustainable Office Buildings”.
In its daily design activities, for projects requiring the involvement of green building consultants and multi-criteria green certification (LEED, BREEAM, DGNB), Horizone Studio cooperates with leading specialists. The so-called Integrated Design Process, promoted in green building certifications, was implemented in our office during project work as a good practice.
Horizone Studio’s projects and realizations have been awarded several times for introducing innovative green solutions. Among them are the PLGBC Green Building Award 2011 and 2016.
Our project The building complex of the Marshal’s Office of the Małopolska Region in Krakow was the first public building in Poland to undergo green certification and received a BREEAM Excellent certificate. In May 2018, the Textorial Park II complex in Lodz, Poland, designed by us (BREEAM Excellent) turned out to be, at the time of receiving the certificate, the highest rated office building in Poland according to the tightened criteria of the UK BREEAM International NC 2016 certification. The SILO green district in Jaworzno was the first residential complex in Central and Eastern Europe to receive a BREEAM Communities certificate.
The Ericpol Software Pool building meets the standards of modern green office buildings. The lump of the building and the depth of the office tracts allow daylight to illuminate most of the interiors, reducing energy costs. Low-E glazing and automatic external blinds were used on the sunny facades. Vertical shades installed as part of the facades are used to protect against the sun’s rays in the afternoon, when the sun is at a low angle.
Municipal heat was used to heat the building. The building has dispensed with traditional air conditioning. Office spaces and elevator lobbies have been equipped with cooling using a thermally active ceiling system known as TABS (Thermally Active Building System). The system is supported by mechanical supply ventilation with pre-cooled air. In addition, all office rooms can be naturally ventilated.
The whole is controlled by a BMS system supported by a neural model, which analyzes the “requirements” of the office building during its operation and adjusts the operation of separate installations to them.
During the Prologue of the Open Eyes Economy Summit, the signing of Krakow’s “Pact for Space” took place. The pact was signed, among others, by Bartlomiej Kisielewski, co-author of the pact, and on behalf of PLGBC, Robert Strzenski – partners at Horizone Studio. The 10-point pact is the result of cooperation between representatives of various communities, who for years have been calling for a meaningful dialogue in the context of Krakow’s urban planning. Its main goal is to unite the residents of Krakow in the fight for a better space that supports valuable urban and architectural solutions.
In Poland, a new multi-criteria system for assessing the quality of residential buildings, focusing on environmental aspects and issues important for the health of residents, was created at the initiative of PLGBC. Work on the Green Home certificate lasted for more than a year, from May 2019 to January 2020. Horizone Studio was one of the specialists of the working group set up by PLGBC and led by Dr. Dorota Bartosz to create the certification.
The Green Home Certificate is part of a broader, pan-European Green Home and Green Mortgage program, implemented as part of the European Union’s SMARTER Finance for Families project under the EU’s Horizon 2020 Framework Program, with 17 organizations specializing in sustainable construction participating in various European countries.
SILO, an innovative residential neighborhood in Jaworzno-Szczakowa, is a unique example of a green approach to urban planning. It was designed with sustainability in mind, using the BREEAM Communities certification.
Key elements include convenient transportation links, efficient waste management, and low-carbon energy. Horizone Studio’s design takes into account existing green spaces, and promotes active lifestyles through recreational and sports infrastructure. SILO is also betting on renewable energy, passive construction and green roofs, providing residents with healthy and environmentally friendly living conditions.
The commitment to sustainability is also evident in the planned use of green areas, ponds and streams as natural air filters. The project site will use energy from photovoltaic sources and from the combustion of biomass generated from wastewater produced by residents. The buildings will be constructed using passive technology, and the green roofs are to be equipped with systems for draining rainwater, which will go into local water bodies.
SILO was designed in such a way that buildings of different scales do not form closed enclaves. Rather than using traditional, compact quarter buildings, the focus has been on open, green courtyards where residents can enjoy compost piles, vegetable gardens and fruit tree orchards that gradually transition into natural woodlands.
At Horizone Studio, we know that architecture has the potential to impact the world in a positive way. That’s why we are passionate and committed to integrating ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) principles into all our projects. What does ESG mean in architecture?
Environmental (Environment):
Social (Community):
Governance:
In 2017/2018 Horizone Studio took part in a special team preparing the Healthy Green Offices report, reflecting trends in the Polish market and the expectations of developers and tenants towards modern workspaces. The report premiered in June 2018.
In September 2018, the book Sustainable Office Buildings, published by PWN and PLGBC, which we co-authored, will appear in bookstores. One of the chapters devoted to the issues of the so-called Integrated Design Process was written at Horizone Studio. The motivation for the creation of the book, was the desire to respond to the needs of the market – the area concerning the design of “green” office buildings and commercial buildings required systematization, the collection of information in one compendium of knowledge. The book “Sustainable Office Buildings” presents the topic in a comprehensive and practical way. The various stages of the design of sustainable office buildings are discussed in detail, the solutions and tools existing on the Polish market, suitable for national legal and climatic conditions, are presented. Examples of model implementations in Poland are also included.
In accordance with the investor’s assumption, the buildings of the Marshal’s Office are subjected to multi-criteria BREEAM environmental assessment and are the first public building in Poland to be certified. The project received 73.3% points, resulting in a BREEAM Interim Excellent certificate according to the stricter criteria of BREEAM International New Construction 2013.
Such a high rating was achieved thanks to, among other things, the use of advanced installation solutions (including tri-generation as a source of heat, cooling and electricity, a digital DALI lighting control system based on LED sources), full control of the building’s operation integrated within the BMS, as well as a number of innovative architectural solutions, which helped achieve a high score in the so-called “soft” categories (lighting, acoustics, materials and landscaping). An analysis of the certification shows that the building will not only be energy efficient, but above all friendly to its users and visitors.
High quality indoor environment:
Sustainable landscaping:
The Polish Aviation Museum building uses a number of green solutions to rationalize heating and cooling energy consumption, mabximize the use of daylight and minimize artificial lighting, as well as maximize the use of natural ventilation and so-called mixed-mode ventilation.
In 2010, the Aviation Museum building won the PLGBC Green Building Awards competition for the best completed green building in Poland – in the non-certified green building category
