Cariparma Business Center

DETAILS OF THE WORK

The Cavagnari Business Center – Green Life is located in Parma and covers a total area of more than 12,000 square meters accompanied by an impressive 70,000 square meters of parkland. The complex was created as an expansion of the pre-existing facility and was designed by the architectural firm Frigerio Design Group, which specializes in the design of “smart-working” work environments.

The design of the Cavagnari Business Center is based on the concepts of eco-compatibility and sustainability, not only environmental but also social and economic; in fact, the complex was designed and built following the most modern construction and building techniques in order to create a structure that manifests a new environmental and entrepreneurial consciousness and ensures maximum comfort and well-being for those who use it.

The new Centro Direzionale Cavagnari, headquarters of Crédit-Agricole Cariparma S.p.A., consists of three main volumes: two buildings dedicated to offices – within which multifunctional open spaces and meeting rooms are articulated – and a third hypogeal building module used as a large multifunctional space. The complex, which can accommodate up to 1,600 employees, houses within it a green lung of more than 7 hectares called the “Crédit-Agricole Arboretum Park,” housing 500 trees and thousands of shrubs and plants.

SERVICE

Politecnica-one of Italy’s largest integrated design companies, specializing in the fields of architecture, engineering and urban planning-has entrusted ASACERT with the task of carrying out technical assistance during the design, construction and management phases of the contract and the commissioning service in order to obtain LEED® – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification – for high-performing buildings and land areas in terms of sustainability.

The ASACERT working group, composed of qualified technical experts and LEED® AP (Accredited Professional), has been monitoring the progress of the work and verifying the performance and ability to meet the performance requirements of the facilities.

During pre-assessment, ASACERT performed the following verification services:

• Compliance of buildings with the Mandatory Minimum Requirements for LEED® Certifiability;
• Prior assessment of project certification level.

Once the credits pursued by the project were defined, the working group supported the design team by suggesting, during a series of meetings and meetings with designers and clients, the strategies necessary for the purposes of achieving the coveted level of certification. The LEED® AP also verified that OPRs (Owner’s Project Requirements or Requirements of the Client) and BODs (Basis of Design or Bases of Design) were produced by the owner/contractor and the design team, respectively, in accordance with the LEED® Standard.

Afterwards, ASACERT provided useful coaching and support services for the proper management of the project. ASACERT then coordinated the certification process through contract management focused on LEED® requirements and credits, devising different strategies for the different stages of construction progress, from design to construction.

During the execution phase, ASACERT conducted continuous monitoring of compliance with LEED® requirements in site activities and the acquisition and production of necessary documents, attested by periodic summary reports. The assistance activity during the construction phase was concluded with the submission to GBCI of the relevant documentation. The working group also coordinated and supervised functional tests on the plant elements to ensure their proper functioning and compliance with design directions.

The purpose of the Commissioning Base service provided by ASACERT was to verify that the plant systems had been planned, designed, installed, tested, commissioned, and operated in accordance with the objectives proposed at the preliminary stage. Finally, ASACERT assisted the developer to carry out the online registration of the project and ensured its support in contacting GBCI.

RESULT

The ASACERT working group has successfully carried out all Assessment and Commissioning activities required to achieve LEED® 2009 – New Construction certification. As a result of qualified technical assistance and integrated building design, the facility achieved LEED® Platinum Certification, the highest attainable rating, with a score of 80/110 points.