Unique industrial park in Cheb: All buildings have achieved the highest BREEAM New Construction certification at Outstanding level

“The industrial park in Cheb is one of the flagship investments in our portfolio. This site, once home to engineering works, has been successfully revitalised under our role as land developer, investor and owner and brought back to life as a state-of-the-art, modern industrial park with three excellent tenants of global significance. The fact that all its buildings have achieved the BREEAM New Construction certification at the Outstanding level is the cherry on top and affirms the exceptional nature of our investments,” stated Martina Nová, Associate Director for Acquisitions and Project Management at Accolade.

“The latest BREEAM New Construction certification at the record Outstanding level reinforces Panattoni’s position as the absolute leader in sustainable industrial development. We have the most certified projects in the market, including the highest number of buildings rated Outstanding. There is tremendous demand from leading multinational companies for environmentally friendly solutions that significantly reduce operational costs. It is also thanks to our ability to construct such buildings for tenants that the Czech Republic remains competitive in attracting foreign investments,” says Klára Sobotková, Regional Development Director at Panattoni.

Built on the remnants of the former Cheb engineering works, Park Cheb South spans over 250,000 square metres. The third industrial building, recently certified as Outstanding, serves as a distribution centre for Shipmonk, which occupies a portion of its total area of 17,000 square metres. Founded by Jan Bednář, Shipmonk has rapidly become one of the fastest-growing companies in the US, with the Cheb distribution centre being its first in mainland Europe.

Transformation of a low-ecological-value brownfield into a modern industrial complex

The building, like the entire industrial park, boasts numerous sustainable features. Before construction, the brownfield site underwent a detailed audit of existing structures and paved areas to determine whether they could be restored or reused. During construction, over 98% of demolition waste and 96% of construction waste were diverted from landfill.

The newly certified building is also exceptional in energy management. Thanks to installed water-saving sanitary systems and a rainwater flushing system, daily potable water consumption has been reduced by 85.5%. For instance, the main water supply is equipped with a leak detection system that allows immediate monitoring and stoppage of any leaks.

Primary energy consumption has been reduced by 17.5% compared to the baseline, resulting in a 30.6% reduction in CO₂ emissions from the building. That means that the building saves 290 tonnes of CO₂ annually. The building’s energy consumption is also accurately metered, which not only provides an immediate overview of consumption and potential equipment failures, but also allows the tenant to pay only for the energy actually consumed. Detailed sub-metering provides an exact overview of spaces and technologies with the highest energy consumption, aiding in maximum optimisation. All interior and exterior lighting is made up of highly efficient LED fixtures, and the roof is prepared for the installation of a photovoltaic power plant.

Sustainable measures also apply to the surrounding area. The site of the former engineering works was a contaminated area with low ecological value. The old factory remnants have been replaced by biologically diverse greenery with low maintenance and water requirements. This green space provides ample habitat for birds, insects and small vertebrates, including a meadow for pollinators. A stone wall has also been installed as a refuge for reptiles and amphibians.

Park employees can enjoy an outdoor gym and a relaxation area with seating. Sustainable transport is provided by a regular bus service just outside the park, and there are also charging stations for electric vehicles, lockable bike stands and special parking spaces for car-sharing users.

BREEAM New Construction Outstanding certification for the entire industrial park

Currently, there are 21 buildings in the Czech Republic rated Outstanding under the BREEAM 2016 New Construction standard, seven of which are part of the joint portfolio of Panattoni and Accolade. According to statistics, the vast majority of buildings certified under BREEAM New Construction achieve a Very Good rating, with Excellent being much rarer, and only about 3% reach the highest, Outstanding level. An industrial complex where all buildings hold such a high rating is an exceptional achievement, not only by Czech standards.

Panattoni and Accolade have also become the first entities in Poland to achieve the BREEAM New Construction Outstanding certification for a new industrial building, with their industrial parks in Szczecin and Konin receiving this honour. In the Czech Republic, in addition to the two other buildings in Park Cheb South, the industrial parks in Stříbro and Kojetín also hold Outstanding certifications, with the Kojetín building with 187,000 square metres of floor space being the largest building with this certification level in the country. The total area of joint projects by Accolade and Panattoni certified at the Outstanding level is nearly 280,000 square metres.