The real estate development company Galio Group starts constructing residential buildings of 32 apartments in Žvėrynas, in Vilnius. Investments in the four-storey energy efficiency Class A+ multi-dwelling building will reach about EUR 5.8 million. This multi-dwelling building will be the first in Lithuania constructed according to the Lithuanian Building Sustainability Assessment System and seeking the highest level certification.
The residential project ‘Žvėryno parkas’ will be developed in the old district of Žvėrynas, in the vicinity of pools, the Neris River and Vingis Park. This high-class project will provide 32 apartments with spacious terraces or balconies, 32 underground parking places for cars of local dwellers and charging points for electromobiles. The apartments of two, three and four rooms from 45 to 150 m2 floor space are designed in the multi-dwelling building; completion of construction operations is pending in the third quarter of 2021.
‘We obtained the construction permit and are starting constructions planning to finish them in the third quarter of the next year. This building was designed by us in cooperation with the Lithuanian Green Building Council and will be the first multi-dwelling building in Lithuania designed and constructed in compliance with requirements for sustainable buildings and subsequently certified according to the Lithuanian Building Sustainability Assessment System (LBSAS). This is an interesting challenge, because until now the RE developers used to certify only commercial buildings’, – notes Rūta Grucienė, the Residential Dwelling Projects Director of Galio Group.
According to the President of the Lithuanian Green Building Council Remigijus Simanavičius, ‘Žvėryno parkas’ is the first residential building in Lithuania which combines complex modern solutions that are cost-efficient and human health friendly, and it will be possible to objectively assess their impact on sustainability using the LBSAS.
‘Greenness’ of the building will be assessed according to 29 criteria
The LBSAS, according to which the building will be assessed, consists of 29 assessment criteria grouped into 8 categories (health, energy, transport, site selection and ecology, materials, waste management, water management and project management). In order to obtain at least the lowest sustainability rating 9 criteria of different categories are mandatory. In addition, the system allows selecting the assessment level from ‘Rated’ (when more than 30 % of the criteria are met) to ‘Exceptional’ (when more than 80 % of the criteria are met).
‘We will seek the highest rating and have no doubts that we will meet all established sustainability parameters. We constructed already three business centres in the office complex ‘S7’ which were issued the international sustainability certificate BREEAM ‘New Construction Excellent’ – this is a very high rating. This project is significantly larger and more compex. We want to implement these best practices in the construction of residential buildings and we think that some buyers are already prepared for that. A new generation of buyers with a very responsible attitude to the environmental protection and impact of the environment and buildings on health is entering the housing market’, – says R. Grucienė
Expecting a breakthrough in the residential segment
R. Simanavičius says that it has already become a standard to assess the sustainability of offices, hotels and other commercial objects constructed in Vilnius, and a breakthrough in the assessment of sustainability of buildings is expected in the coming 2–3 years.
‘In developing prestigious projects of multi-dwelling buildings, in particular in a competitive environment, consumers need more than an excellent site or high class of energy efficiency – increasingly more multi-dwelling buildings will be constructed in line with the sustainability principles, applying the most advanced technologies and good quality materials. Moreover, in the long run, the ‘green’ buildings will depreciate less and will be more liquid, and their operating expenses will reduce’, – maintains R. Simanavičius.