The investor wanted a dynamic, light and clean building, but at the same time stable and cohesive. And it succeeded. A total of about 1,000 ČSOB employees, who until then had been deployed to four different workplaces, found refuge in it. During construction, the priority was not to respond to current trends, the building was designed to serve effectively for several decades without the need for further structural modifications. The house was designed with the needs of local residents in mind and harmoniously blends in with the overall architecture of the city.
Starring EcoStruxure Building by Schneider Electric
HHQ, as ČSOB's new regional headquarters is called, is characterized by its extraordinary energy efficiency – its energy consumption is around 70 kWh/m2 per year. The technology from Schneider Electric also has a lot to do with it. The energy optimization of the building is in charge of their EcoStruxure Building solution, which uses the so-called Internet of Things, which securely connects hardware, software and services via a backbone Ethernet IP network, monitors and subsequently controls energy flows in the building. "We can imagine the EcoStruxure Building as the brain of the entire building, a control center that has an overview of how many degrees are in which room, where the heating needs to be increased, where the level of lighting can be dimmed, because there is enough daylight flowing inside. It will also detect all energy leaks - if somewhere there is uneconomical ventilation through open windows and the like," explains Jakub Jiříček, a specialist in energy management of buildings from Schneider Electric.
The basis of everything is measurement. 201 temperature controllers, 122 electricity meters, 60 water meters, 44 heat/cold meters and a number of other key components are installed in the building, which collect data on current energy consumption, which are subsequently evaluated. Light and thermal comfort is induced by the installed KNX system, which controls more than 1,500 lights. It uses more than 300 motion detectors as well as information from the weather station on the roof of the building for proper operation. The states of the controlled technologies and devices are displayed in a summary visualization in the control room, from which everything can be clearly controlled. Thanks to Schneider Electric technologies, the consumption of all energy in the building is under control and can be efficiently monitored and managed.
Apart from electricity, the office building is not connected to any other energy medium, such as gas. Heating and cooling of the premises there is ensured by means of cooling units in heat pump mode with 107 geothermal wells reaching a depth of up to 200 meters, which are distributed in regular fields under the entire floor plan.
Graphic concrete, but also biometric entry control. HHQ shows the future of workplaces
HHQ offers its employees a modern and timeless environment for flexible work. There is therefore plenty of greenery inside - 1,087 plants to be exact, as well as a school for children from the age of two, relaxation areas and a gym. It is also possible to relax and recharge on the roof terrace, which also serves to retain rainwater and improve the microclimate. There is also a facility with more than 300 parking spaces for cars and motorbikes (including 10 spaces for electric cars and charging stations), with special parking for bicycles (including a bicycle washer) and changing rooms. The complex also includes a restaurant and a cafe. An interesting feature is the relatively extensive implementation of graphic concrete in the premises of the building, which is supposed to represent the geological composition of the locality. This technology makes it possible to print various graphic motifs, images, or even a detailed photo into the concrete. Biometric entry control systems add a futuristic touch to the premises - employees are allowed in based on palm print recognition.
The construction of the five-story building with an area of 36,982 square meters was completed in the fall of 2021 after two and a half years. In the spring of last year, the HHQ office complex received the prestigious LEED Platinum certification in the New Construction category for the design and construction of environmentally friendly and sustainable buildings, which ranks it among the most environmentally friendly in Europe. The project was also recognized by Schneider Electric as part of the global Sustainability Impact Awards competition, which evaluates the actions of the company's partners in the field of sustainability. The award went to the company Buildsys, a leading supplier of complete solutions and building automation in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which implemented the entire project of installing innovative technologies.
