Stockholm hotel and conference centre provides test case for Nordic eco-labelling
A mixed-use development in the Swedish Capital Stockholm looks set to become the first development of its kind to be awarded the pan-Nordic environmental Swan badge.
Stockholm Waterfront, set for completion in 2010, has applied for a Swan accreditation and is seeking to work with the organisation to hammer out a list of criteria suitable for hotels and conference centres.
The Swan label is attributable to dozens of products and services from adhesives to personal computers, restaurants and hotels. But the criteria for conferences centres do not yet exist.
"The focus for Stockholm Waterfront is on energy and sustainable materials. The building itself will be extremely energy efficient thanks to the solar panels on the roof, which will produce energy for the whole complex," said Christer Olofsson, head of the Stockholm Waterfront project.
The project is being built on brownfield site in the centre of Stockholm next to the Klara Sjö lake, which will provide greywater for cooling. The building is also designed to be reached by public transport.
Existing criteria for Swan accreditation on hotels include a limit on energy and water consumption per sqm and per guest, as well as the location of the building and the requirement for heating.
“The entire building process - as well as daily services once the building is open - focuses on sustainability,” said Kenth Larsson, director of sales, meeting and events at Rezidor, developer of the Park Inn Stockholm Waterfront hotel.
"Sweden is a world leader in sustainable building design, and Stockholm Waterfront lives up to all current environmental legislations. The focus is on social interaction and organic materials."
