As a sustainability leader in its industry, Siemens is committed to reducing the impact of its operations on the environment and has established measurable, corporate goals addressing energy efficiency, potable water use, waste management and emissions.
Supporting the achievement of these goals, Siemens has identified the U. S. Green Building Council‘s LEED certification as a framework to strategically enhance its new and existing building portfolio. Siemens has engaged AECOM through a master service agreement to support and facilitate the LEED certification efforts.
An example of this collaboration is provided through the Project „Schaltwerk“, a manufacturing campus for modern switch gears in Berlin. The project consists of construction of two new production halls (Halle 25 & Halle 26), the rehabilitation of the existing production lines and optimization of logistics.
Starting in 2014, Siemens planed to manufacturer high-voltage switch gear equipment in the approximately 24,300 m2 facility. In addition to the production lines, the new buildings also include offices and supporting spaces.
The project team developed a custom sustainability concept, focusing not only on the need for highly-efficient industrial processes but also addressed the desire for a high quality of the supporting work spaces that would result in increased employee satisfaction. An example of a strategy meeting both of these goals is the implementation of natural daylight throughout the production halls. Skylights and translucent windows contribute to the employees well-being and productivity, while providing ample opportunity for energy savings.
In addition, the halls feature highly-efficient HVAC systems, high performance lighting and controls, and are built with low-emitting materials to offer the employees a high indoor air quality.
The new production halls were completed in mid-2013 and successfully certified LEED-NC Silver beginning of 2014.