Wihlborgs receives Sweden’s first NollCO2 certification for a building containing a lab

9/27/2023 5:30 AM

The NollCO2 certification has been established by the Sweden Green Building Council (SGBC). In order for a building to be certified, it must have a net zero climate impact for its entire life cycle of 50 years, from raw material extraction to final disposal of the building materials. This is a highly demanding standard that will be part of the path towards Sweden’s goal of climate neutrality by 2045.

Since Space is the first lab-equipped building to be NollCO2 certified, the project has become part of a pilot project for developing a baseline and threshold values for buildings with laboratory operations.

An important aspect in the process toward NollCO2 certification has been reducing material use at every stage. The building’s skeleton is made from a hybrid framework using structural steel with a recycling rate of over 65 percent. Climate-enhanced concrete and hollow core slabs made with sustainable cement were used for the foundation. Steel beams have been used where weather conditions are most severe and a glass wall protects the wooden facade against heavy rain and direct sunlight, which increases sustainability and reduces energy consumption.

Space is also being constructed with modular dimensions, providing it with flexibility for future changes to the floor plan connected to tenant improvements.

Wihlborgs will use its own energy innovation in the building: a reversible heat pump that works with existing district heating and cooling systems to recycle heat and cold. Thereby, considerably reducing the property’s need for external heating and cooling. At Space, this means utilising surplus heat from the tenant Oatly’s cold rooms.

“Wihlborgs is a property company that takes climate issues very seriously and that has now NollCO2 certified yet another building. Space is the first building with laboratory operations to pass NollCO2 certification. The building is a clear example of operations not needing to limit comprehensive sustainability and climate efforts,” says Evelina Enochsson, Business Area Manager NollCO2, Sweden Green Building Council.

“At Space, we have worked on a ‘right material in the right place’ basis to optimise construction based on factors such as location, weather conditions and function. This means that we have supplemented the use of wood with other green choices in terms of materials.  In addition to setting ourselves considerable challenges in terms of material use, meeting SGBC’s NollCO2 standard for laboratory operations has been a learning experience that we hope more buildings will now be able to use,” says Helena Pålsson, Project Manager at Wihlborgs.
 

Wihlborgs Fastigheter AB (publ)

About Space
In autumn 2023, Space will stand completed adjacent to Rydbergs Torg and the tram station, and will become an innovation hub with offices and labs. The 6,000 square metre building will become a natural focal point for companies, individuals and research disciplines that are working with the development of sustainable solutions of the future. Space is being constructed from timber and in a Scandinavian style, and is certified to Miljöbyggnad Gold, WELL and NollCO2.

In autumn 2023, the oat-drink manufacturer Oatly will move in with a new research and innovation centre.

Read more about Space here (http://Space, Science Village, Lund – Wihlborgs). 

Wihlborgs Fastigheter AB (publ) is a property company that focuses on commercial properties in the Öresund region. Its property portfolio is located in Malmö, Helsingborg, Lund and Copenhagen. In Malmö, Lund and Helsingborg, Wihlborgs is the leading property company. The book value of the company’s properties totals SEK 56.6 billion, representing an annual property rental value of SEK 4.3 billion. Wihlborgs’ shares are listed on the Large Cap List of Nasdaq Stockholm.