Goodman Continental Europe’s most ambitious sustainability project to date is now complete.
Two years ago, Goodman CE set itself an explicit goal when developing the 5,600 square metre Bremen VIII Logistics Centre: to reduce the upfront embodied carbon on this Green Space+ building by at least 30% on a standard build. We also wanted to see how far the market’s existing low carbon offerings could help us push this goal.
This meant tackling upfront embodied carbon as well as emissions occurring across the entire lifecycle of a development project. As part of the project, we accounted for the emissions involved in all the materials we used and all of the systems we installed.
Reducing lifecycle emissions a significant component of indirect emissions is notoriously challenging. However, this one-storey warehouse, located in a premium industrial hub in Bremen – just an hour from Hamburg – was an ideal candidate for innovation.
Our goal was to reduce upfront embodied carbon by 30%, however the project far exceeded expectations. Upon practical completion we have reduced the upfront embodied carbon on Bremen VIII by approximately 45%. We are currently awaiting certification confirmation, with the aim for Bremen VIII to be DGNB Platinum certified, and EU Taxonomy aligned.
Goodman’s approach to energy efficient buildings
At Goodman, energy efficiency begins long before we break ground.
The Bremen VIII Logistics Centre maximises energy efficiency opportunities by utilising openings to optimise sunlight, shading and natural ventilation. We minimised the building’s energy demands through its orientation, and optimised the performance of the components and materials making up the building itself.
To support our customer Pilous Packaging in achieving net zero operations, we installed energy efficient appliances and provided opportunities for Pilous to generate renewable energy on site.
Other sustainability features include:
- Air-to-water heat pump system which is entirely fossil fuel-free and powered by on-site renewable energy, running with natural refrigerants
- Approximately 400kWp of rooftop PV and up to seven roof-mounted wind turbines (to be installed in 2025)
- Energy storage ready
- Four parking spaces include electric vehicle charging infrastructure and one is truck EV charger ready
- LED lighting with daylight and motion sensors for lower energy use
- Smart metering to monitor energy and water consumption
- Rainwater harvesting for irrigation
- Insulation and cladding that offers airtightness above standard building regulations
- Green roof provides a cooling effect during periods of extreme heat, as well as rainwater management during heavy periods of rain
- An abundance of natural light in the warehouse through large windows and skylights
- Warehouse walls painted white
- Biodiversity including indigenous plants, an insect hotel and green walls installed in the office portion of the building.
- Outdoor furniture crafted from recycled wind power blades.
Reducing indirect emissions involves the whole supply chain
To achieve scope 3 reductions, we needed to look beyond the operational use of the final building. This involved going upstream – to materials and construction of the building.
Our sustainability team came into the project early. Working with our technical teams and our supply chain, our team of experts scoured the market and our supply chain for commercially ready, low-carbon products that would significantly reduce our upfront embodied emissions (these make up the carbon footprint of a building before it becomes operational).
Low carbon innovations used in the development include:
- Low carbon concrete mix, locally sourced, in all construction elements (we significantly reduced the clinker amount in the mix by prioritising cement CEM III, IV & V)
- Recycled and lower carbon steel in the construction frame and in the concrete fibres
- Recycled and lower carbon aluminium for windows
- Sustainably sourced timber, used to reduce the amount of concrete required in the superstructure of the warehouse.
The result is a stepping stone that will help us reach our bigger, SBTi validated sustainability goals. By 2030 (using 2019 as our base year), Goodman CE aims to reduce our absolute scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 70% and our scope 3 emissions by 55 % – and be net zero by 2050.
The learnings from this project will be used for future Goodman developments across Continental Europe.
