Panattoni and Accolade are thus claiming the third joint project together with the highest Outstanding award according to the international sustainability certification BREEAM New Construction. (In addition to the distribution center in Kojetín, the halls in Panattoni Park Stříbro and Panattoni Park Cheb South were also previously awarded.) In addition, Panattoni and Accolade became the first entities in the Czech Republic to receive BREEAM Outstanding for a new multi-storey industrial building.

Area saving thanks to the height of the building

The Amazon building catches the eye at first glance with its height, which exceeds 27 meters in the places where the stairwells lead. Thanks to this, it provides a floor area of 187,000 square meters, while the floor plan occupies less than a third of the area, i.e. 51,000 square meters. The height of the building thus brought a significant saving of the built-up area.

"After including the Amazon robotics center in Panattoni Park Kojetín, the portfolio built by us now includes 900,000 square meters of already certified buildings. I am really proud of the fact that the industrial properties we build meet the strictest environmental requirements," says Jan Andrejco, regional development director at Panattoni.

The technology used saves up to 6310 tons of CO2 per year compared to conventional solutions. This is to give you an idea of the amount of emissions that new passenger cars would emit when driving a total of 66.5 million kilometers.

“BREEAM New Construction certification has five levels and only a really low percentage of projects are able to achieve the highest, Outstanding. Accolade can boast three global projects on the Czech real estate market with a total area of 242,000 square meters. And if we look at the specific example of Kojetín, I am really proud that we have invested in such an extensive industrial zone on land with a low ecological value, which has also ranked at the top in the field of environmentally friendly and technological construction," highlights Martin Makovec, senior project manager manager at Accolade Group.

Photovoltaics, heat pumps, sustainable water management

The project in Kojetín is also innovative with regard to the use of renewable resources, through the energy of the surrounding environment. The building is not connected to fossil energy sources in any way. Photovoltaics on the building's roof tie in with Amazon's climate commitment to become carbon neutral by 2040. Photovoltaics provides up to 68.2% of the energy consumed in the area. The power plant's output is 3951 kWp, it produces more than 4 million kWh of electricity annually. This corresponds to the amount of electricity consumed by about 1,400 Czech households with an average annual consumption.

The power plant consists of a total of 8590 monocrystalline panels, each with a power of 460 Wp. For comparison: Photovoltaic plants from the solar boom of 2009 to 2010 consist of panels with an output of 170 to 220 watts. The entire distribution center is heated by heat pumps instead of gas. Air-to-water heat pumps heat up to 75% of hot water.

Not only the energy mix of the inputs, but also the materials used for insulation of the cladding and roofs contribute to the low energy demand of the building. For the Kojetín project, it was possible to achieve the value stated in the PENB building's energy efficiency certificate of only 4 kWh/(m2 year) of primary energy from non-renewable sources. The wall panels have a thermal transmittance of 0.189 W/m2K. The thermal transmittance of the roof is 0.129 W/m2K. The average heat transfer coefficient of the building is 0.16.

"Environmental friendliness plays a big role for us. For example, there are no skylights on the roof so that the entire area can be used for photovoltaics, which has so far produced almost two gigawatt hours of electricity, which is a really respectable amount by Czech standards. However, our employees are no less important to us, who can work in daylight thanks to the windows in the perimeter shell. In addition to the canteen, doctor's surgery or rest area, workers also have excellent conditions for transport to work. Those who drive their own electric cars have 30 free charging stations available in the parking lot," clarifies Michal Šmíd, CEO of Amazon in the Czech Republic. There is a train stop nearby, infrastructure for bicycle transport, and three-quarters of the employees commute to work on one of the ten bus lines, which saves further emissions from transport.

"The building in Panattoni Park Kojetín also boasts a gentle approach to drinking water management. Consumption savings reach 60.8% compared to conventional buildings. Specifically, it is 15,140 cubic meters per year. This corresponds to the annual consumption of more than a hundred average four-person households in the Czech Republic," adds Lenka Matějíčková from the consulting company Grinity, which certified the project.

A chance for a brownfield

Panattoni Park Kojetín is located on the territory of a former brownfield. The entire area therefore had to be rehabilitated and ecological burdens removed before construction began. The construction of the four-story building itself was in many ways specific and demanding in terms of coordinating the construction work and the companies on the construction site. Sustainable goals