WAZA’s New Office in the IUCN Conservation Centre

Europe's Greenest Office Building

As of 1^st of May 2010, the WAZA Executive Office will be situated right in the heart of the world's conservation centre: in the IUCN's newly built conservation centre in Gland, Switzerland. IUCN's perception of the new building reads as follows: "The Conservation Centre will serve not only as a place of work for the Union's global Secretariat team, but will also serve as a hub for global collaboration with the aim of conserving nature. The new Conservation Centre will enhance the Union's leadership role as an international forum to cultivate alliances and partnerships for stronger collective action among the conservation community, government and society." For WAZA, it offers the opportunity to better liaise with the conservation community (with IUCN and Ramsar in the same building) and to use synergies for cooperation and office management.

According to a United Nations Environment Program report, 30-40% of all primary energy is used in buildings. Buildings account for a significant amount of gas emissions: up to 40% of global emissions according to a recent study. Over the next 25 years, emissions from buildings are expected to increase faster than in any other sector. Faced with a growing constituency, expanding staff and centralised service requirements, coupled with the desire to cultivate stronger program partnerships, IUCN decided to transform its headquarters into a Global Conservation Centre. In responding to these needs through the construction of a new headquarters extension, IUCN has made the commitment to both "walk the talk" in implementing the highest standards for its new building and to raise the bar for others in terms of sustainable construction. From state of the art air ventilation systems to recycled water supplies, it should set the standard for environmental quality and innovation. Recycled materials have been used throughout and 85 percent or more of energy consumption will be produced from renewable sources, which include heat pumps and photovoltaic panels.

Highlights

Outdoor Atrium: An outdoor terrace, partially enclosed, for receptions and events.

Think Tank: Large modular conference space located on the top floor; capacity for 150

Natural Garden: Visitors will be able to experience the natural beauty of local flora and fauna just outside our office door in the spectacular natural garden;

Meeting Facilities: The Conservation Centre offers numerous meeting rooms which can be rented for conferences or special events.

Members and Partners: Member and partner organizations are hosted in the Centre, enabling synergies and collaboration on conservation issues.

Visitor Centre: The interactive visitor centre will present current environmental issues. The work of IUCN, its members and partners in tackling climate change, biodiversity loss and ecosystem

degradation will all be showcased.

Workspaces

110 to 140 workspaces over 2,000 m²

Benchmarks

In all aspects of design and construction, IUCN will strive to achieve the highest U.S. Green Building Council standard rating: LEED Platinum (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). IUCN's goal is to be the first office building in Europe with a LEED Platinum certification.
MINERGIE-P-ECO®. The MINERGIE standard is a voluntary, Swiss-based construction standard that promotes the rational use of energy and renewable energy sources. It mitigates negative environmental impacts and sets high demands in terms of comfort.

Water Efficiency

High efficiency system for drinking water
Rain water recuperated on the roof and used to flush toilets and if necessary irrigate the garden
Waterless urinals

Energy Efficiency

Reversible geothermal heat pump: 15 wells at 180m depth
Heating and cooling through thermal mass concrete
Production of hot water through recuperation of heat from refrigerators
100% of the energy consumption comes from renewable sources
A photovoltaic installation producing 145MW per year
27% of the photovoltaic energy used to run the building, covering 20% of the total energy needs

Lighting

Most innovative and low consumption lighting system: EUEnergy Label - Class A
Presence of daylight sensors
Maximization of daylight through skylights

Materials and Resources

Minimal use of materials
40% recycled concrete
Locally sourced materials
75% FSC wood

Indoor Environmental Quality

A building and site that explicitly support a healthy work and lifestyle, interaction and innovation
A decentralized CO2 controlled air supply system
Balconies and adjustable blinds to avoid overheating in summer and allow passive solar gain in winter, while taking advantage of natural light

"Those were Good Times, the Years in Bern." Albert Einstein

One of the main reasons for choosing Switzerland as the location of the permanent secretariat for WAZA was because of the presence of IUCN. WAZA started out in Berne, Switzerland's capital, thus following the footsteps of Albert Einstein, who spent seven years of his life there. Moving to Swizerland's capital in 2001 was a landmark for WAZA's development. In the early days of the permanent secretariat, WAZA was supported by the Canton of Bern and the Federal Veterinary Office. After the first phase of setting up the secretariat, WAZA established international partnerships with organisations like IUCN (WAZA originally became am IUCN member in 1950). Joint efforts in the conservation of biodiversity were defined in the working agreement between WAZA and IUCN and subsequently, the Director General, Ms Julia Marton- Lefevre offered WAZA office space in the new conservation partner building. This was seen as an ideal opportunity to increase cooperation between the two organisations and to enhance the use of synergies such as office management. Ultimately, being situated in the heart of global conservation efforts in Gland will benefit both WAZA and its partners.