Warsaw is working on building guidelines to help achieve the city's climate neutrality by 2050. Architectural and functional standards for schools have already been developed.
Officials have begun developing a set of principles that will make up the Warsaw Green Building Standard. It will include requirements and guidelines to bring the capital closer to climate neutrality, which is set to be achieved by 2050. Representatives of the National Energy Conservation Agency have also joined the work on the document.
reduce emissions
Służewski House of Culture (proj. WWAA + 137kilo
photo: Radek Kolakowski / Wikimedia Commons
Construction and energy are responsible for about 83% of CO2 emissions. Residential buildings are a significant contributor to emissions. The regulations are intended to be binding for designers and investors of new and retrofitted urban buildings, but private investors will also be able to benefit from them. The new standard should be applied universally, as this is the only way Warsaw's policy of sustainability and climate neutrality will succeed.
responsibility and comfort
photo. e. Lach / UM Warszawa
The green standard will address the challenges of energy efficiency in buildings heat and air conditioning supply, water and waste management, and the introduction of blue-green infrastructure elements. Climate issues will be supplemented with tasks related to user comfort. Standards will be set for air quality, thermal and sound comfort, and the quantity and quality of light.
incentives for cyclists
Green Marszalkowska
photo. e. Lach / UM Warsaw
Buildings implemented under the new guidelines are also to be sustainable in terms of transportation. Solutions will be introduced to support travel by bicycle (adequate number of parking spaces, covered parking lots, etc.) and by public transportation. There will also be incentives to introduce solutions based on the sharing economy.
good practices
The adaptation of existing buildings to the requirements of the Warsaw Green Building Standard will be staggered over time. At the beginning of work on the guidelines, existing certification systems - BREEAM, DGNB or WELL - are being analyzed first of all. The best Polish and foreign practices are expected to help establish requirements and indicators taking into account local conditions. Informational meetings are scheduled for late October and early November. Officials plan to have the document drafted and adopted in mid-2022. The work on the document stems from the guidelines of the Warsaw Climate Panel, conducted in 2020.
standard for schools
Elementary School No. 400 in Wilanów (designed by Bujnowski Architekci), 1st Architectural Award of the President of the City of Warsaw 2021 in the category of public buildings
photo: Piotr Krajewski / UM Warszawa
A similar set of rules and requirements, although taking into account other issues, has already been created for Warsaw's educational institutions. In May 2021, Architectural and Functional Standards for Elementary Schools and School and Kindergarten Complexes of the City of Warsaw were adopted. High-quality, well-designed schools are supposed to build a sense of identity, belonging and pride in their users, as well as enable better educational results. The architecture of education will be the focus of this year's edition of the Warsaw Under Construction festival, which kicks off on October 8 at the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw.
