Office complex Verde creates 62 birdhouses to 13 bird species
With the aim of improving bird nesting conditions in the centre of the Latvian capital, Riga's greenest office complex Verde has committed to implementing an initiative in line with the standards of the internationally recognised BREEAM Excellent sustainability certificate. As part of the initiative, 62 bird boxes will be installed on a nearly 1.3 hectares large site of the office complex at 1 R. Hirša Street, providing home to 13 bird species
Iveta Lāce, Verde Commercial Director and Member of the Board: “A sustainable, eco-friendly business environment filled with lush greenery and elements of wildlife - these are the core values of Verde, Riga's greenest office complex. That is why we are proud to implement this truly large-scale new bird habitat project. Our tenants' employees will now be able to enjoy the peaceful, wellbeing-enhancing chirping of birds as they walk to and from work or relax in the courtyard and on the terraces.”
The initiative is being implemented by the developer of the office complex, Capitalica Asset Management, in cooperation with the Latvian Ornithological Society and sustainability consultancy and certification agency Vesta Consulting. As a result, from May this year, new wooden birdhouses of 6 types will gradually be installed on the existing old trees that have been preserved in the construction process, on the newly installed lampposts as well as between the concrete columns of the both Verde buildings (A and B).
Kristiāns Ivans Hrgetičs-Vītols, architect, BREEAM sustainability consultant at Vesta Consulting: “For a building to reach the Excellent level, which means meeting the highest BREEAM standards, the project needs to be carefully assessed and developed across all BREEAM categories. As cities grow and new houses are built, animals are left with fewer natural habitats to live in. Ecological solutions that improve the environment as compared to the situation before the building was built are highly valued in the certification process. This is why Verde's decision to develop such a large landscaping project, which, among many green solutions, includes the installation of more than 60 birdjouses, is an excellent response to this challenging situation.”
Upon assessing the location of Verde, its position, and available structures, as well as the information available on the web portal Dabasdati.lv, it was concluded as part of the initiative that by providing artificial nesting sites it is possible to improve nesting opportunities for 13 bird species.
Agnis Bušs, ornithologist at the Latvian Ornithological Society, adds: “Thanks to the construction and installation of the new birdhouses in the Verde environment, three bird species will gradually start to inhabit the site from spring 2023: the Black Redstart, which is already singing nearby, the White Wagtail and the House Sparrow. The Swift, the Starling, the Tree Sparrow, the Great Tit, the Blue Tit, the Pied Flycatcher, the Grey Flycatcher, the Stonechat, the Robin, and the Jackdaw could also become "winged tenants" of the complex in a year or a year and a half.”
As previously reported, Verde is the first project implemented by Capitalica Asset Management in Latvia, which invested more than EUR 65 million in the development of the project. The manager of the construction process is Notus Developers, a subsidiary of SBA Group, the general builder is construction company Velve, and the exclusive rent and management partner is the leading Latvian real estate agency Colliers. To date, such companies as Swisscom, Decta, KPMG in Latvia, Swetch, Merito Group, Workland, Enefit, VIA SMS Group, Tietoevry and Dia 36.line have become tenants of the office complex.
