The Alting Developments department has moved into the final phase of work to modernize and rehabilitate the D371 building, owned by the Alting Real Estate Group, in order to make it a sustainable building with the prestigious LEED v4 BD C Core and Shell certification. The work, which includes the façade and interior, is expected to be finished by late 2018.

The building, located at number 371 of Diagonal Avenue in Barcelona, is one of the properties in the Alting group's exclusive portfolio of assets. It is a highly representative property with a unique façade at the corner of Diagonal Avenue with Rosselló Street and Pau Claris Street, just meters from Passeig de Gràcia street.

The in-house project developed by the Alting Developments department includes a comprehensive rehabilitation plan to give the future tenant the latest innovations and best facilities on the market. Plus, the project includes a recreational rooftop terrace.

Built in 1992 by British bank Nat West and owned by Alting since 2004, D371 has a total surface area of 3,080 m², of which 2,110 m² are for commercial use and 970 m² in the basement (storage and parking).

NEW D371, LEED GOLD BUILDING

Here at Alting our work is based on the premise of striving for a better future and we are committed to sustainable development. For this reason, the rehabilitation project at Diagonal 371 has been designed from the beginning to make it a sustainable building in order to gain LEED GOLD certification.

To do so, the Alting Developments team has worked with architect Bieito Silva from Zero Consulting, which specializes in energy efficiency and sustainability and has a team of experts that has provided advice and guidance in the process of obtaining this important certification.

As we explained in our article on LEED Certification, there are four different levels: Certificate, Silver, Gold and Platinum. After the initial study, the goal set for D371 is to obtain the Gold Certification and, more specifically, the LEED v4 BD C Core and Shell.

This specific certification refers to projects affecting mainly the core (center and structure) and the shell (outside and façade) of the building. As Bieito Silva explains, there are different types of certification and it is important to choose the one that best suits the project.

So, as D371 is a rehabilitation process to modernize the façade that will not fully define the interior spaces, leaving them for the tenant to adapt to their needs, this was considered the best option.

In order to get this world-renowned certification, Zero Consulting explains that these are the steps to follow:

1. Register the building on the website of the US Green Building Council (USGBC).
2. Establish the target agreement or strategy to follow in order to draft the executive project.
   LEED has a series of criteria with associated points. Some of these criteria correspond to measures to be taken in the project or design phase and others once the building is finished.
3. Once the executive project has been drafted, the credits corresponding to the design phase must be documented.
4. When these credits are documented, they are sent to be "corrected" by LEED. After the response is received, the points obtained cannot be changed.
5. At the same time as the design phase is certified, construction work is underway and once finished, the credits for the construction phase must be documented. The process is the same as in the design phase.
6. Then the points from the design phase and the construction phase are added together, for the final total.

Once the rehabilitation or construction of the building is finished, and they have verified that it meets all the requirements indicated previously, the USGBC will grant the certification under the supervision of the Green Building Council International (GBCI).

D371, CRITERIA TO GET LEED GOLD

After an exhaustive evaluation of the project by Alting Developments and Zero Consulting, a series of goals were set for the Diagonal 371 building to achieve LEED Gold Certification, encompassing issues associated with all the LEED categories:

• Location and transport: the building is in a good location near many public transport options, which gives us a high score.
• Sustainable site: among other measures, this includes a plan to reduce light contamination and a green zone on the rooftop that is accessible to tenants.
• Water efficiency: use of efficient faucets and toilets.
• Energy and atmosphere: the facilities have been laid out to optimize power use.
• Materials and resources: choice of materials with environmental documentation such as the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) and also low emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).
• Indoor environmental quality: management of air quality during the work, thermal comfort, use of finishings without VOCs, etc.

By following these criteria, D371 will become an energy-efficient building that reduces both its environmental and financial impact, better taking advantages of resources like power and water, for example.

For more information, contact comunicacion@alting.com.