Construction of VERDE is seeing fast progress

Construction of the first building of Riga’s greenest office centre VERDE, located on the crossing of Skanstes Street and Hanzas Street, is conducted in line with the schedule and will be completed in June 2022. Half of the construction works have been completed – the underground car park, frame construction for five of the 11 floors, works on the first-floor facade and engineering works have been started, while the rest of the building is being built. At the same time, there is active work in progress with potential tenants, allowing them to follow the construction process.

“Construction of VERDE’s first building is progressing fast, in line with the schedule, and some of the jobs have been completed ahead of the tight construction schedule, despite the difficulties in construction materials supply chain and growing prices of construction materials, which is the reality of today’s market. We plan to complete works on the first building of VERDE already next June. VERDE’s builder Velve simultaneously conducts large-scale structures or slabs concrete works and the installation of the façade system for 0 floor and 1st floor is in progress and engineering systems, focusing also on safety and health issues, cleanliness and order on the construction site,” said VERDE commercial director Iveta Lace.

It is planned that in two years, investing more than EUR 65 million, more than 3,000 people will work in the new offices with a floor space of 30,000 m2 (47,000 m2 including underground parking). More than half of the tenants will be international companies that are actively seeking for sustainable, environmentally-friendly, energy efficient offices that have been adapted for the needs of the new generation employees.

“Besides intense construction works of the first building of VERDE office centre, there is active work going on with potential tenants. In order to give a glimpse of the advantages of VERDE, we have set up a special meeting place next to the construction site – VERDE POP-UP TERRACE where the first guests have already been received. They are given the chance to see and learn about the progress of the project in an excursion to the construction site with construction experts and individually discuss the needs of the companies together with Colliers International and VERDE representatives. During the first visits of potential tenants, a necessity has been noted for office premises that present new advantages for on-site work. They are mostly related with the environment that supports co-working and productive individual work, and meets the highest well-being standards, as well as is a place close to homes of tenants and the active city centre,” said Iveta Lace.

International sustainability experts, assessing VERDE office complex during the design stage, have granted BREEAM Excellent certificate that proves that VERDE offices will be built, following the highest sustainability standards. The building will use the highest-standard heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, run by interior climate management approach, using BMS (building management system) and in-door thermostats. Besides, in order to ensure cleaner air, such functions as air humidifier systems, chilled beams and CO2 sensors will be installed. The complex will meet nearly nZEB (Zero Energy Building) standard. Each fifth floor of VERDE offices will have 600 m2 green terraces with hundreds of plants and up to 5m tall trees. Terraces and the green yard that will be almost car free will have dozens of outdoor workplaces. A large underground parking place with access from Roberta Hirsa Street will have space for cars, electric cars and environmentally friendly transport vehicles – bicycles and scooters.

More than EUR 65 million will be invested in construction of VERDE office complex, of which EUR 22 million is a loan from the European Investment Bank that approved funding from an investment package earmarked for fight with climate changes. The project’s developers and investors are Capitalica Asset Management - part of Lithuania’s largest multi-industrial group SBA Group.