Downtown One Project has been awarded LEED Precertification on the Gold level. It is the first building in Albania to be LEED pre-certified by U.S. Green Building Council. The precertification process was advised by Colliers International Albania and Colliers International Poland Green Building Advisor Team.
Downtown One project is a mixed-use, eco-friendly skyscraper developed by Kastrati Construction on a prime site located in CBD area and in the immediate vicinity of the city center. It has excellent accessibility by car and public transportation links within a short walking distance, complemented by a bicycle lane passing by the building.
The 37-storey building has a height of 144 meters and will provide 5 underground parking floors, 5 commercial floors, 11 high-quality office floors, 3 floors for facilities & services and 18 residential floors. It offers two separate reception areas, one for the residential units and the other for the official ones. Additionally, the commercial area has its own entrance.
“Downtown One project is designed to display multiple green features like high-efficiency HVAC and lighting system, good thermal insulation, above-average volumes of fresh air for the occupants, bicycle racks, shower and changing rooms positioned close to the bicycle racks and electrical car charges in each of the underground parking floors. The project aims also to prevent water use by optimizing flow and flush rates and cooling towers cycles. It will become a notable example in Albania of how to maintain an environmentally conscious, enjoyable, comfortable and healthy workplace and satisfy the needs of its customers at the same time,” says Andrzej Gutowski, green building certification expert at Colliers International Poland.
“This certification is extremely important for the Albanian market as it is the first certification of this kind in Albania, especially at one of the highest levels which is the LEED Gold level. It is a special opportunity for the Downtown One project to differentiate itself from other developments and to certify its buildings according to the highest level of sustainability that exists today in the world. Such certification is deemed to attract the high calibre occupiers to the building as sustainability is a key element that drives office demand today,” quoted Stela Dhami, managing partner of Colliers International Albania.
“We are thrilled to receive this designation for Downtown One” said Viron Hamzai, CEO of Kastrati Construction, the general contractor of the project. “From the planning phase, our goal was to develop a high performing and sustainable building that would upgrade the way construction projects are designed, built and operated in Albania. Thanks to the extensive work of our teams and partners we have achieved a new milestone towards achieving this goal and we have done so in a way that demonstrates the commitment to the sustainability of our investor, Kastrati Group. We are dedicated to keeping up the good work until the successful finalization of the certification process.”
The construction of the Downtown One is planned to be completed in 2024.