Blog 2 - How we are laying the foundations for a new generation of better green buildings
Even at the planning stage we knew that our new Knauf Insulation Experience Centre in Slovenia would be a defining project in our company’s history.
Work is well underway on this 640m2 centre and although the building looks relatively modest at this stage, the impact it will have on the construction industry is ambitious on three significant levels.
Firstly, and most importantly, the centre has been selected to contribute research to a ground-breaking European Commission building sustainability pilot project known as Level(s).
This Europe-wide initiative focuses on environmental and social issues such as energy performance, climate change, resource efficiency and indoor comfort over the entire lifecycle of a building.
We hope that research gathered from our pilot project in Slovenia — as well as others across Europe — will ultimately contribute to a bigger legislative picture in the future and pave the way for dramatic new European legislation on sustainable buildings. Such a move would revolutionise the building industry, transform the lives of building users and ultimately contribute to a better environment.
Secondly, the centre will be the first green building in Slovenia to be fully certified by the DGNB Green Building Rating System — and the aim is to attain the Gold level.
This ambition has attracted considerable interest from the Slovenian Government which is following the project closely as it explores new ways of reshaping national building sustainability requirements.
Finally, the new centre will showcase some of our most innovative systems including our Urbanscape Green Roof Solution, Heraklith Wood Wool, OEM solutions, Knauf Gypsum, Knauf AMF and other partners. BIM technics, Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing are also playing a major role in the construction process — adding vital research to our drive for Continuous Improvement with a customer-centric focus.
Naturally, such a ground-breaking project has gained major support as well as created unique opportunities for collaboration between Knauf Insulation and a range of organisations at national and international level.
Representatives of the Commission have been providing guidance on the use of Level(s), while the European Regional Network of the Green Building Councils, national Green Building Councils, DGNB and architects are all offering support and collaboration.
“Knauf Insulation has invested significantly into this project because we have always believed in taking a holistic approach to sustainability that examines the entire lifecycle of buildings,” says our Sustainability and Product Regulatory Affairs Director, Vincent Briard. “We hope that by contributing to Level(s) our vision for better sustainable building directives will become a reality in the future.”
• The new two-storey Knauf Insulation Experience, next to our Škofja Loka plant in Slovenia, will feature areas for demonstrations, digital experiences, show-rooms, offices, technical rooms, lecture halls and meeting rooms. Work will be completed later this year.
