Re-naturalising for an emission free workspace

From industrial area parking to a green and carbon neutral campus. To help with its lofty carbon targets, Roche required an emission free space for its 1,300 employees in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, to carry out research and develop digital solutions in new and flexible ways. The result is an energy and resource efficient eco campus, accompanied by multi-functional green spaces and made up of reused materials.

Mace was responsible for the management and delivery of the project, which began as a multi-storey parking lot in which rainwater and other natural resources were wasted instead of harvested for repurposing. Over a period of 18 months, our team oversaw the building of four 2,300m² floors of offices using sustainable rebar, which allowed the team to use 50% less rebar overall, as well as a smaller amount of concrete. Its implementation was just one of the innovations that allowed the project team to significantly reduce CO₂ emissions, saving 85kg CO₂/m².

The requirements for the main campus building’s top floor presented a particularly unique challenge. Roche needed a laboratory in which experts could safely carry out vital research into cures and solutions for infectious diseases. Mace led the building of a floor with an entirely independent MEP system to avoid the unintentional spreading of harmful diseases, allowing the building to achieve a Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) certification. During the project’s planning stages, Mace identified an opportunity to take advantage of the lab’s specific requirements and adjust the project timeline so this phase could be completed while the rest of the building was operational, maximising value and efficiency for the client.

This is Roche’s first CO₂ emission free workspace. In the winter, the building is heated by pumps fuelled by green energy. For the warmer months, and for the parts of the building that require year-round temperature control, none of the refrigerant gasses used for air conditioning contribute to global warming. What’s more, the roof includes photovoltaic and solar thermal panels which produce green energy to power the campus, and the façade was adapted depending on the orientation to ensure adequate solar protection. In a harmonious union of beauty and function, this green area, which holds a sculpture by artist Gonzalo Lebrija, is irrigated via a rainwater harvesting system stored in the new parking area.

What used to be industrial and inefficient is now a work environment that can be considered green, both because of the way nature has been incorporated into its design and because of its energy and resource efficiency. Roche’s first emission free campus is testament to what’s possible when it comes to carbon free design.