RBK Nedvizhimost: Ecological Friendliness is a Synonym of Quality
26 August 2013
RBK Nedvizhimost: “Ecological Friendliness is a Synonym of Quality”
Timur Sukharev, Chief Commercial Officer of Restavracia N, the company which carries out in Khamovniki quarter development of premium class residential complex Knightsbridge Private Park, in the interview to RBK Nedvizhimost tells about the importance of “green standards in residential construction.
- Today world tendencies of construction qualities come to postulates of green development. Green standard is actually an indicator of high quality and security of building both for environment and for a human. Thus, in construction there are always so called “hidden works”, i.e. certain stages that pass and remain unnoticed by an outside person. However, materials used in the course of implementation of these stages have an impact (neutral or negative) on human health during the whole course of operation of the building. In green development everything is transparent: any material for construction is supplied by a company owning a certificate for that particular type of work. Hence the general quality of the project.
- Green development – is it important to Moscow?
- Undoubtedly it is. First of all if we do not start to think about it now and take any steps towards improvement of ecological situation, then we will quickly and irretrievably get behind developed countries. It is necessary at least to start small. And then the trend will only develop, also by inertia. Even one green project in Moscow is able to set some standards and improve ecological situation in the district where it is located, especially if we talk about such a large-scale project as Knightsbridge Private Park in fact a close elite quarter with a green park with the area of 2 hectares, private infrastructure, etc.
Secondly, it is also a question of project’s durability and, consequently, of developer’s reputation. A developer of elite real estate in any case investing into construction huge amounts of money a priori should not be indifferent how the house he has built will “behave” in the course of operation in 10, 30 and 50 years. The world changes, metropolitan cities develop and we should walk in step with these processes. It would be strange to construct the way the whole world did it “yesterday”, it is necessary to try to do it like it will be “tomorrow”.
And the most important thing is that buyers begin to realise better that ecological friendliness is a synonym of quality. For example, we’ve come across such situation while constructing the complex Knightsbridge Private Park: when we started from the task of implementing a project with an absolute quality we’ve arrived to the fact that all parameters do comply with criteria of the British international system of ecological certification BREEAM. It means that of you construct according to the principle Best of the Best, today you just come to the Green level, such are the world development tends.
- Knightsbridge Private Park is undergoing the procedure of compliance with the international standard of ecological construction BREEAM. What does a residential complex need this for?
- The first buildings in Moscow that started to be evaluated according to the criteria of the international standard BREEAM were business centres. It was important for them to receive an objective quality assessment for its demonstration to international investment funds.
What does a residential complex need this for? For the same quality assessment. We want to receive BREEAM evaluation to prove that Knightsbridge Private Park is a high-quality house built from ecologically clean materials and that we comply with all international contruction standards and not with national construction norms and rules and GOSTs that have stuck in the previous century.
Apart from that, certification according to BREEAM standard has become for us an absolutely logical step: initially at the level of design of the project Knightsbridge Private Park it was decided to use only the best natural materials that fully exclude even the slightest harm to human health. We use the same approach to technological equipment of the complex and to working out layout solutions: on each issue we opt for solutions the most comfortable for residents of the complex. That is why we can say that Knightsbridge Private Park initially to a large extent complied with the BREEAM concept and it would be strange not to use it and not to document the level of construction by receiving a certificate.
- How difficult is the procedure of receiving the certificate?
- The procedure of receiving BREEAM certificate starts already at the stage of front end engineering design and continues on all further stages. We come through multiple approvals of BREEAM at all stages of construction. BREEAM experts come to our site monthly and give recommendations what else in the project can be done better and how to do it, monitor execution and, consequently, give assessment. In short, the process is rather complicated but the result is worth it.
- And what does it give to future residents?
- The best effect from application of BREEAM standards will be exactly for residents, not for us as a developer. For us it is an expensive and labour-intensive procedure. Residents will get a lot from it. First of all they will be sure of the quality and durability of the building itself. Secondly, it will be money-saving because due to work in accordance with BREEAM standards in Knightsbridge Private Park there have been integrated the newest technologies: ultramodern “sleeping” lifts, energy-saving windows, multilevel water cleaning system, etc.
- Tell about it in detail.
- Technological equipment of Knightsbridge Private Park has been designed in such a way that every flat is autonomous as much practicable: if necessary residents can switch off their flat from electric power and hot water supply for any period thus eliminating the risk of an emergency in their absence.
Engineering equipment of the complex is also designed with account to ecological requirements: in particular, we try to choose ventilation equipment without Freon applied.
All the water that gets to the complex .comes through multiple filtrations including decontamination, i.e. drinking water will run from every tap.
In the residential complex Knightsbridge Private Park the highest criteria of premises insolation are used: each flat is oriented to different cardinal points in such a way that sunlight successively visits all rooms during the day.
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- And has modern buyer of real estate especially of premium class become sophisticated in terms of quality of construction materials?
- Indeed, a buyer today is well-informed in issues of quality of construction. Quite often buyers of such level have personal advisers who help to choose an object for investments. Our buyers travel a lot and see how houses are built in New York or in London.
At the same time many buyers already well realise dependence between the quality of a project and further expenses on its operation. Properly designed “green” building is characterised with overstability and durability and requires to be repaired not so often because the quality of materials and ergo-logic designs put into the project make its operation easier. It also reflects on maintenance costs of residents: in particular in Knightsbridge Private Park monthly payments will amount to 3 dollars for a square metre which corresponds to the lower threshold of de luxe projects (as a rule, maintenance costs in this segment amount to 4 dollars for a square metre).
- What construction materials do you use for construction of Knightsbridge Private Park? And is it possible to do without rockwool in our climate?
- Of course it is possible. And it is better to do without it. Conventionally speaking, Rockwool is mineral fibre glued with synthetic glue. Under different exposures, for example, thermal one, transformation of this glue into gaseous state is possible and that is of course not a good factor of influence on human health. That is why for thermal insulation we use glass foam, it is an absolutely neutral, nonflammable and very ecologic material. In technology it is similar to thermal ceramics, in fact these are microgranules with air which create unusual thermal effect. Such material does not change its state in no circumstances.
The walls themselves are another thing we are proud of. For building construction we use brick the production technology of which excludes application of chemicals. We thoroughly chose a manufacturer who excavates clay for brick production from pits with the best ball clay without foreign additives and with high level of fatness. Natural stone is used for wall decoration. Wall thickness is 64 cm, its neutral part is 38 cm thick and is made by technology of “thermal ceramics”.
As about 70% of the whole area of facades of the residential complex is taken by windows, we’ve paid special attention to glazing. In Knightsbridge Private Park there will be installed multiple glazed units with low-emissivity glass and frames are manufactured not from plastic (that can emit harmful substances when heated) but ecologically clean wood - redwood or oak.
Source: RBK Nedvizhimost