The project of the new industrial complex was appreciated by the regional leadership, among others. "This is a very significant private investment in the Central Bohemian region. I appreciate that hundreds of job opportunities are being created, which are not in the immediate hinterland of Prague, but in the heart of the region. I am glad that the trucks will not drive on roads that are not suitable for this, but will drive to the site directly from the highway. High environmental standards, green roofs and water management are increasingly common in such buildings if the investor is enlightened. And cooperation with a nearby municipality is a basic condition for mutual satisfaction. Here it all fell into place and thus everything is as it should be. I wish everyone that the operation works well," comments the Governor of the Central Bohemian Region, Petra Pecková.
The director of the developer's strategy, Marcela Fialková, highlights above all the suitable location. "The complex is located on the 34th kilometer of the main domestic traffic route - the D1 highway. It means that it basically lies in the middle of the republic, but at the same time close enough to Prague, as one of the main markets," he explains. According to her, it is also important that the site is right behind the exit from the highway, so the trucks do not burden lower class roads and do not drive through villages.
The logistics company Wedo located its parcel sorting room for the entire Czech Republic and Slovakia here. The largest hall is used by the Nagel Group, which stores food for the Czech retail industry, Marimex also has a central warehouse on the premises, and a warehouse for the whole of Bohemia of the Emons forwarding company. All four warehouse halls with a total area of 50,000 square meters are fully leased at the time of completion.
In line with current trends
The location of the premises is very interesting for retail, which uses the logistics facilities and will need them to an even greater extent in the future. "For years, stores were used to having a large warehouse and thus having goods on hand that are easily in stock for a month or two and are replenished when needed. But that is terribly expensive. That is why we are experiencing a big change recently. We feel enormous pressure on external storage spaces and the ability to replenish goods exactly when the store needs them," states the president of the Trade and Tourism Association of the Czech Republic, Tomáš Prouza. According to him, in recent times some customers have gotten used to ordering goods in the store and having them delivered directly to their homes. It therefore does not travel through the store, which not only saves costs, but also CO2 emissions.
The fact that the area does not burden the neighboring village is also the reason why the construction was not accompanied by disputes. "Years ago, we as a municipality decided that we wanted to attract an investor to this location. It was successful, the complex is standing today and the municipality has a number of benefits from it. It received gasification and interesting financial contributions, for example for a children's group or for firefighters," says the mayor of the adjacent Center, Marek Škvor.
Water supply – most of the area has drinking water from rainwater
"We mainly focused on managing water, which is irreplaceable. As the first ever in the Czech Republic, we purify rainwater for drinking in a newly built treatment plant for more than 20 million crowns. The competition uses rainwater for maximum watering, but we purify it to drinking water quality and supply three quarters of the entire area with it. In this way, we save 8,700 cubic meters of drinking water annually. The rest of the area is supplied with water from boreholes directly on the property. From the point of view of water management, the area is essentially an island solution," explains Marcela Fialková about the advantages of the rainwater treatment plant.
The complex is undergoing BREEAM environmental certification and works with a whole range of other gentle measures. The low energy demand, which is ensured by high-quality insulation of buildings, is important. Modern entrances for trucks will limit heat loss in winter, and light and partially green roofs will minimize the formation of a heat island in summer. The company also sought the possibility of permitting a solar power plant on the roofs of the halls, but the state of the network in the vicinity would not be able to accommodate up to 5 MW of power, which the plant would produce at peak times. Biodiversity was also thought of, the number of different beetle habitats and bumblebees, the green areas are newly landscaped and a hundred new trees were planted.
An even higher standard with the D5
The group is currently building another similar site near the D5 highway near Přehýšov in the Pilsen Region, for three billion. A total of 130,000 square meters will be created here in three halls. Here too, UDI Group will focus on sustainability. He wants to promote the installation of solar power plants on roofs. It could produce up to 12 MW at the peak. It will use rainwater as so-called gray water. Biodiversity measures will include building bio-corridors in place of regulated streams. The campus will be certified by the BREEAM environmental standard, aiming for the Excellent level. The location is suitable for both logistics and production. It can offer its premises to companies that, for example, supply parts to German car companies.
"We started the construction of two of the three halls on a so-called speculative basis, i.e. without having signed a contract with a specific tenant. Companies are cautious in the current economic situation. However, there is a lot of interest, so we believe that we will rent the halls soon. On the contrary, by building ahead, we meet the requirements of companies that want to move into the new hall as soon as possible after signing the contract," emphasizes Marcela Fialková. The first hall of the Přehýšov Logistics Center complex, which will offer 50,000 square meters of space, will be fully completed this year. Another of the halls currently has a completed skeleton and the group is ready to continue construction immediately, according to the specific customer's requirements.
