So-called passive office building, the first in the Central and Eastern Europe, is being built since last August in the Euro Centrum Science and Technology Park in Katowice. Recently, the official foundation stone for its construction has been laid. Built for more than PLN 37 million building will be completed in February next year.

"The building will consume 15 kilowatt hours per square meter per year for heating. If you compare it to the car, it would be a car burning one litre of gas per 100 km, compared to eight litres in an average car" - explained the Euro Centrum Park President Roman Trzaskalik.

It has been calculated that the construction costs of theoffice building will be about 15 percent higher than for conventional, much more energy-intensive buildings. "It is worth it to pay 15 percent more, and then for several years reap the financial benefits in the form of savings" - argued Trzaskalik.

The purpose of the office building in Katowice is to promote energy-efficient building construction, and provide scientists with an object of research and analysis. "It will be used for promotional purposes, so that everyone has the opportunity to touch and see these solutions; at the same time we want this to be verified by scientists" - he added.

The building will occupy an area of more than six thousand square meters. It will largely use renewable energy sources: it has been designed with extensive access to natural light, equipped with solar panels, photovoltaic cells and geothermal probe system. Special passive windows, heating and cooling ceilings and recuperator heat recovery system will be used for cooling in summer and heating in winter.

In addition to administrative and office spaces, the building will house technology laboratories and conference rooms. The office building has been designed primarily for technology companies.

"We are thinking mainly about innovative, technology companies, both domestic and foreign. Some of them already operate in our park, some are start-ups, in industries including automation, electronics, renewable energy and medical technologies" - said Trzaskalik.

The office building also will house companies in the business environment. "We want this to be a building, where businesses can operate from start to finish in these few selected sectors" - he added.

Construction of the passive office building is part of the project co-financed from EU funds, called "Creation Science and Technology Park Euro-Centrum - development and application of new technologies in energy conservation and renewable energy sources". The EU funds come from the EU\'s Innovative Economy Programme. Ultimately, these funds will indirectly benefit innovative companies that will have their seat in the science and technology park, in the form of discounts for services provided by the institution.

The Euro Centrum Science and Technology Park offers its partner businesses infrastructure, financial support, training and consulting services. It facilitates access to knowledge and latest research results, and creates conditions for the location of high-tech companies. Scientific infrastructure of the Park includes collaboration with research centres, AGH University of Technology, Silesian University of Technology, Częstochowa University of Technology and the University of Silesia.

The Park mediates in search of partners and animates joint ventures of member businesses of the Euro-Centrum Cluster of Energy Efficient Technologies. It is also a member of scientific and industrial consortia that carry out nationwide research projects for optimising energy consumption in buildings and increased use of renewable energy in construction.

PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland

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