At the end of 2014, the prestigious portal dedicated to sustainable construction professionals Construction21 presented examples of office buildings in Spain that are more respectful with the environment. All of them are designed with the primary objective of minimizing pollution and achieving the greatest energy savings and comfort possible.
One of them is the Orona Ideo Innovation City, located in Hernani (Gipuzkoa). This project is composed of several buildings and linked urban spaces. Its main objective is to devise a fusion space between different synergistic activities -company, technology center and university- and a laboratory where cutting-edge technologies in sustainability and energy management of buildings will be applied. In addition, in this way, it responds to the need to create a space for innovation and exchange for its more than 4,500 employees, and an attractive space for researchers and students in the areas of elevation, urban mobility, energy and eco-technologies. It is located in the Galarreta neighborhood, Hernani, and extends over an area of 40,000 square meters, with an initial investment of 70 million Euros within a global budget of 160 million Euros.
The idea on which the project revolves is to group and take advantage of the synergies of different R+D+I and university research business activities in a single business center. In the first phase, Orona will share space EIC, Mondragón Unibertsitatea and Ikerlan-IK4, and subsequently, the intention is for it to act as an element tractor and that they be accompanied by other innovative companies that will be located in the expansion of the Donostia Technology Park. It is intended to create 1,000 jobs.
In the aforementioned initial phase, three buildings will be built:
- Orona ZERO: This is the main building, which will house the corporate headquarters of the ORONA Group and Orona EIC (Elevator Innovation Center).
- The The Orona Foundation, for its part, will house the Foundation’s own headquarters and the Mondragon Unibertsitatea.
- The A3 building, which will consist of a set of sophisticated laboratories and a research space for the G3A electrical storage project.
Two of the most unique features of this technological city are the bioclimatic design of the buildings and urban spaces. On the other hand, it is worth noting the EcoBoulevard, the linear park that defines the backbone of the new Expansion of the City’s Technology Park. This park is characterized by its varied and rich vegetation and maintenance and conservation of the landscape in areas where pedestrians have preference over vehicles.
Orona IDeO’s District Heating-Cooling generates thermal energy for the entire network of buildings, while Orona Zero integrates a large photovoltaic roof-facade, which produces energy for self-consumption. Another of Orona Zero’s priorities is to investigate new electrical storage systems linked to the elevation systems.
As a result of this great effort in innovation, technology and sustainability, Orona Ideo has achieved the certifications Leed Oro and Breeam Excellent and has been selected by the World Green Building Council for their report on Health, Well-being and Productivity in Office Spaces.