The first recognised LEED building in the Iberian Peninsula stands in Porto
The student residence Milestone Porto Asprela achieved the LEED gold certification or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The building, which was formally inaugurated on 19th November 2019, is the first in the Iberian Peninsula to earn this international certification, in the Hospitality typology.
The Milestone Porto Asprela reached 62 points certification wise, the highest ever in Europe in the LEED V4 – Hospitality, the same result obtained by a certified building in Ireland. The student residence represents an increased capacity of 220 more individual rooms, located in one of the main areas of higher education in the city of Porto.
This is the acknowledgment that new construction in Porto is done in accordance with the sustainability principles that guide the policies by the Municipality of Porto, as stress is put on building more energy and resource-efficient buildings, with Porto Solar project being such an example.
The campus, now certified as a building that reduces stress on the environment, offers students social, academic and environmental strengths. The contemporary architecture building provides large windows to let in the daylight and optimal studying conditions. Indoor spaces are also ideal for both study activities, individually or in groups and relaxed moments in the terraced balconies. All rooms are equipped with a small kitchen and a private bathroom. These areas were already furnished and equipped.
This is a project by the Austrian Company Milestone, the Real Estate Consultant Predibisa and the construction company Garcia Garcia. "Environmental approach and the highest international standards regarding university campus", as stated by Milestone, during inauguration.
The new campus enables a sustainable life style, by allowing the water used in baths, showers, and kitchens to be recycled in sewage systems of the same building. In addition, these are high energy efficiency (A or B) buildings, fitting flow control valves in taps, the use of renewable sources of energy and intelligent energy systems, air conditioning control systems and thermal coating performance. Moreover, the area offers a good public transportation network and accessibility, namely the Metro, buses and road accesses.
Asprela, which is about to be a most important green lung in the city of Porto, houses the Faculties of Medicine, Economy, Engineering, Nutrition and Food Science, Sports Faculty, Dental Medicine, and the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, and the Polytechnic Institute of Porto and the University Fernando Pessoa.
The U.S. Green Building Council grants LEED certification and the goal is to assess and award eco-friendly construction, as regards environmental standards and regulations. It is implemented in over 150 countries in the five continents, and its purpose is to reduce the ecological footprint of both new construction and existing buildings throughout their lifetime.
It is worth mentioning that Porto Office Park (POP) – an office complex that inaugurated last year and that will accommodate IT Sector tech company – was the first to achieve "Excellent” rating regarding BREEAM certification (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), a norm that assesses standards as wellbeing, circularity and carbon footprint decrease.
