Amazon's Czech fulfilment centre achieves BREEAM Outstanding

Panattoni Park Kojetín involved regenerating an urban brownfield site previously used as a sugar refinery and bringing new employment opportunities to the area. The Amazon Hall, the first building on the site, is a multi-storey robotic fulfilment centre that was constructed as part of Amazon's expansion in the Czech Republic. 

The success criteria for this project were quite demanding. The regeneration project needed to include: 

• A multi-storey industrial building, the first of its kind in the Czech Republic 

• Remediation of existing pollution in the rock environment and underground water 

• Integration of advanced robotic systems for fulfilment operations 

• Achievement of high sustainability standards within an industrial context. 

In line with the company's global commitment to sustainability, all new Panattoni buildings are designed and constructed to be environmentally sustainable. 

BREEAM certification is a key metric that Panattoni uses for measuring the environmental performance of its developments and was a requirement from the start of the development. Along with BREEAM certification, the other metrics used include: 

• Reduced operational carbon emissions, demonstrated by a 53.3% reduction in primary energy consumption and CO2 emissions compared to the baseline. 

• The mitigation of embodied carbon through the use of certified sustainable materials. 

Key green features of this project: The Amazon Hall was designed to go 'beyond compliance' in all areas, achieving significant improvements over building regulations in terms of energy efficiency. The building was designed to include measures that will reduce the demand for energy. These included: 

• A rooftop PV system with 3,951 kWp capacity, covering 25% of total building energy consumption 

• High-efficiency LED lighting throughout with minimal control modules 

• Water-saving fixtures and systems, reducing daily drinking water consumption by 60.8% 

• Use of materials with sustainability certifications for 15.15% of installed materials 

• Creation of biodiversity-enhancing features, including planting 300 trees and 750 shrubs 

• Installation of 30 charging stations for 60 electric vehicles. 

The project team worked hard to deliver the development in a sustainable manner, achieving the following highlights: 

• 85.3% of construction waste diverted from landfill 

• Extensive use of native species in landscaping to enhance local biodiversity 

• Implementation of a Site Waste Management Plan to minimise waste generation. 

The project achieved an overall Outstanding BREEAM rating with a score of 89.4%. The building incorporates various sustainability measures, demonstrating a commitment to environmental responsibility across key areas. 

Significant achievements include: 

• Energy: Installation of a photovoltaic (PV) system covering 25% of the building's total energy consumption. 

• Water: Daily consumption of drinking water is reduced by 60.8% compared to baseline levels, thanks to modern sanitary facilities and water-saving technologies. 

• Waste: 100% of demolition waste was reused on-site, with no material sent to landfill (except for hazardous waste). 

• Land Use and Ecology: The project transformed a previously industrial brownfield site, incorporating biodiverse greenery, native species, and bee hives to enhance local biodiversity. 

Overall, the project illustrates how high-quality sustainable buildings can be delivered in the industrial sector through collaboration between developers, designers, contractors, and specialist suppliers. The building is expected to play an important role in the region's economic development while supporting Amazon’s climate pledge to achieve 100% carbon neutrality by 2040​ 

Reflecting on the success of the project, Michal Smid, General Manager Amazon in CZ, shared, "This concept aligns perfectly with our sustainability strategy. At Amazon, we made a climate pledge in 2019 to achieve 100% carbon neutrality by 2040. That's ten years earlier than the Paris Agreement requires." 

Martin Makovec, Senior Project Manager at Accolade, added, "This project is an excellent example that even on land with a low ecological value, thanks to appropriate investment, such a large industrial zone can be created, which ranks among the top in the field of environmentally friendly and technological construction."