GREEN REAL ESTATE
One of the big challenges ahead for the planet is overpopulation and more than half of the world population live in urban areas. As a result of this, urbanisation has become synonymous with increasing CO2 emissions and polluted air, and the need for taking care of our environment is more pressing than ever.
In an attempt to contribute to the reduction of CO2 in cities, STANICO has decided to embark on a green expedition in the core of the company – the THORNICO Building in Rotterdam. The aim of the project is to transform grey concrete into a green urban environment which has been initiated by planting moss and succulent plants on the rooftops of the two towers of the building. Today, the roofs function as green filters trapping particulates and CO2, which has resulted in a considerable improvement in the air quality.
As a further benefit, the sedum roofs also work as an excellent insulator leading to substantial energy savings. The green rooftops have, subsequently, been accompanied by three separate beehives housing around 120,000 of some of Europe’s highest living urban bees that have helped bring more flowers and birds to the neighbourhood, not to mention delicious honey!
Another project, which has literally given the THORNICO Building a green profile, is the ‘Green Park’. The project includes covering the 5,000 square metres of facade of the THORNICO Building’s car parking facilities with ivy, thus making a fully-grown living green wall that has the same filtering effect as 200 mature trees. In fact, it has become one of the largest vertical green walls in Europe, and consequently, an inspirational source for sustainable thinking and a landmark for Rotterdam. Besides this filtering effect, the green facade also counterworks the urban heat effect in the city by reducing radiant heat and relieving the overburdened sewer system when rainwater is retained to irrigate the plants.
The THORNICO Building, the Company Karma philosophy and the people behind it are gradually being considered as Corporate Social Responsibility landmarks in the city of Rotterdam, and STANICO is happy to continuously promote a more sustainable way of thinking real estate. The popularity of the buildings also brings initiatives like cultural festivals with thousands of visitors to the rooftops of the THORNICO Building. In STANICO, these are important steps towards liveability, and the benefits of the green initiatives will continuously be enjoyed by the company and its surrounding community.