The move to building greener warehouses in greener parks is driven not just by P3’s commitment to corporate social responsibility, but also by the need to appeal to increasingly environmentally-aware occupiers and, just as importantly, to maintain energy consumption at a sustainable level, using of state-of-the-art construction technologies to achieve significant long-term operational cost savings for customers. P3 now considers sustainability to be a fundamental part of high quality industrial space.

P3's five steps to sustainable development

1. It starts with location
The key factor that determines the attractiveness of a logistics park is its location. Parks featuring direct links to major roads draw the highest demand from potential occupiers. Clearly this reduces travel time, which has a direct financial benefit to the customer. However, with the average distance from a P3 park to its main highway or primary road being only around one kilometre, this also significantly reduces both the overall carbon footprint and the amount of traffic in a given area. Exceptional transport synergy exists at P3 Prague D11 park, for example. This park is strategically located between Highways D11 and D10, and with a rail line located only 300 metres away, is also easy to reach by train.

The winner in terms of connectivity, however, is P3 Prague Horní Počernice park, which has a unique mix of retail, e-shop pickup outlets and logistics space. This park’s direct connection to Highway D10 and to the Prague Highway Bypass is crucial for customers’ logistics operations, while employees and retail customers value the fact that it is served by the Prague Integrated Transport system. The 350,000 m2 plus park can be reached by Bus 220.

P3 has also secured a bus connection for its P3 Prague D1 park, near Highway D1; this service is used by 1,500 employees every day.

2. Sustainable construction, energy and lighting
P3’s new warehouses feature a roof clearance height of 12.2 metres. This increases storage capacity by 25% compared to 10-metre high buildings – the industry standard height. As a result, building footprints are reduced.

High-power solar panels installed on roofs of new warehouses allow P3 Prague D1 park and P3 Prague Horní Počernice park to generate their own power. In addition, the roofs feature a higher than normal number of carefully configured skylights that allow daylight into the parts of a building where employee footfall is highest, such as the shipping zones, thereby reducing the cost of powered lighting. Intelligent lighting solutions are used in places where the skylights do not provide sufficient light. For instance, the system in buildings the P3 Bucharest park in Romania is designed to light areas only when the movement of people and machines is detected. In the Czech Republic, the most advanced park in terms of lighting is P3 Prague D1, where the Yusen Logistics warehouse allows the lights in each storage sector to be switched on independently. This means that only the active areas are illuminated which reduces the customer’s lighting costs by 40%.

"More and more companies are aware of the need to conduct business in a sustainable way, and want to show the public, employees and shareholders that they are located in quality warehouses and energy-efficient, environment-friendly industrial parks. Eco certification is one way of boosting the value of a property, but customers also consider cost optimisation a vitally important factor. To attract potential occupiers, a new building must pass a comprehensive check that includes energy efficiency, water and waste management, use of environment-friendly materials and the quality of interior design. The synergy of these solutions can significantly reduce operating costs and improve the financial parameters of customers’ operations," explained Tomáš Míček, Country Head for P3 in the Czech Republic.

P3's flagship logistics facility in the Czech Republic, the VF Corporation warehouse at P3 Prague D8 park, prides itself on a BREEAM certificate at the "Very Good" level. Its construction required state-of-the-art expertise as well as close consultation between P3 and the VF Corporation regarding the design, specifications, and operating parameters so that the company's commitment to the Green Buildings Initiatives could be met. As a result, one of the most advanced warehouses in the Czech Republic has been built – fitted with energy-saving ecological technologies, such as a modern heating and ventilation system, reinforced thermal insulation, an intelligent LED lighting solution, insulated dock ramps and numerous other features that considerably improve the working environment for employees.

3. Heating savings The European climate means that energy for heating and cooling accounts for a large part of operating costs in industrial and logistics parks. In order to attain the best possible measurable performance, P3's strategy for sustainable industrial development focuses on building warehouses and storage facilities featuring double wall insulation with airtight doors and windows.

Another way of achieving significant savings relates to water heating and is exemplified by a warehouse built for ID Logistics in the P3 Mszczonów park in Poland, where roof-mounted solar panels have been installed to provide the entire complex with hot non-drinking water.

4. Ecological water management Given the scale of a logistic park, rainwater harvesting is a complicated task. A drainage system is used to bring rainwater to large retention tanks from which it slowly soaks into the ground. This highly effective time-tested solution allows water to remain in the soil in the area whereas, in the past, water was often drained into nearby watercourses. The landscaping solutions at P3 Prague D8 include a flood-control polder, an artificial flood plain, which equalises the water level in Máslovický Creek and protects not only P3's park, but also the adjacent municipalities. The polder levee is 4.5 metres high. If the creek overflows, the polder is capable of retaining 40,000 m3 of water, creating a lake or balancing pond of around five acres – roughly the size of five soccer fields – that would prevent flooding in the residential districts in local towns. In addition, P3 has increased the capacity of a nearby wastewater treatment plants in Klíčany.

5. Nature conservation A key part of P3's green strategy is an effort to harmonise its parks with the surrounding landscape. This is accomplished through the planting of trees native to individual areas not just in the P3 park, but also in the immediate vicinity. Examples include planting additional trees in an alley lining the road to Klecany or building a protective biotope habitat near P3 Prague D1 park in agreement with the Říčany Environment Department. In the same vein, climbing plants are beginning to adorn the walls of buildings at P3 Prague D11, and the P3 Žilina park has been separated from the adjacent area with a row of trees planted to reduce light pollution. Likewise, P3 makes every effort to use local renewable resources in the construction of its facilities. For example, warehouses in the P3 Niedersachsenpark in Germany, which is located in an area known for lumber production, feature wooden beams. Using wood as a construction material in no way compromised the construction process; on the contrary, it has provided a unique architectural element. Apart from a wooden load-bearing roof structure, the 20,000 m² warehouse built for PSA Peugeot Citroën, features energy-saving outer walls, intelligent lighting, solar water heating system, and recharging stations for electric cars.

P3’s logistics parks are experiencing a green revolution. More than just highly efficient warehouse and distribution space, the P3 standard now also means higher levels of sustainability and a more comfortable working environment for its customers' employees. This approach is reaping success with customers. Many start down this route with a view to lower operating costs, but soon come to see the other benefits that it delivers.