Sustainability
For the redevelopment of the Aurora district, Lavazza’s approach reflected environmental sustainability criteria, the aim being to reduce and prevent pollution and the exploitation of expendable energy resources, a decision which has brought both local and global benefits. 
The company also decided to nominate the new building, which houses the corporate management centre, for LEED® Gold certification (Leadership in Energy and environmental Design), the most famous worldwide award for energy and environmental performance, which few buildings in Italy have achieved.
LEED®: What is it?

The new headquarters has been nominated for LEED® GOLD LEED® level certification. The acronym stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and is the world's most popular recognition for building energy and environmental performance. It is a voluntary measuring system, designed to evaluate both new and existing commercial, tertiary and residential buildings. The new Corporate Management Centre has adhered to the stipulations of the LEED® protocol, from selection of the site through to design, execution (which recovered 80% of the rubble) and post-employment monitoring. The building is designed to maximize the comfort of the people at Lavazza, save energy and cut the use of drinking water. The evaluation criteria are divided into prerequisites and credits. Prerequisites are minimum requirements to be met to obtain any level of LEED® certification. Credits allow you to obtain a score based on what determines the level of certification: base, silver, gold and platinum.

The new Lavazza Corporate Management Centre aims to achieve the gold level, under the LEED® Italia 2009 standard for new constructions and renovations.

Site sustainability + Site sustainability

It is worth ¼ of the assignable points, and addresses environmental aspects of the site where a building is being constructed. Credits reward the choice to build within urban areas or in areas well served by public transport, to regenerate sites, to encourage future users to use environmentally-friendly means of transport, to collect and recycle rainwater and to reduce the island heat effect (overheating of urban areas) and light pollution.

Water management + Water management

The Water management  category (1 prerequisite, 3 credits, max 10 points) addresses environmental issues relating to the use, management and disposal of water in buildings, promoting the reduction in water consumption and  rainwater harvesting.

Energy and atmosphere + Energy and atmosphere

This category is worth 1/3 of the assignable points and promotes the improvement of the energy performance of buildings and the use of energy from renewable or alternative sources.

Materials and resources + Materials and resources

This category (1 prerequisite, 8 credits, max 14 points) takes into account environmental issues relating to the selection of materials, to waste disposal and the reduction of the environmental impact caused by road traffic.

Internal environmental quality + Internal environmental quality


This category (2 prerequisites, 15 credits, max 15 points) addresses environmental issues regarding the health, safety and comfort of the building’s occupants, the effectiveness of the air exchange system and the control of air contamination.

Certification process

Project registration is the formal step that launches the LEED® certification process. A project nominated for certification must prove that it can meet the minimum program requirements, and only at this point can the project be effectively registered. Project designers must therefore prepare the necessary documentation and calculations to demonstrate that they have met allrequirements and credit criteria. LEED® certification is obtained on completion of construction works by demonstrating that the building meets the program requirements for the desired level of certification.

The new Lavazza Corporate Management Centre was registered as having achieved LEED® Gold certification in September 2011, and on that date, it was the first candidate building in the Piedmont region.

Since certification is a complex process that involves constant activity monitoring, there are three dedicated bodies for the Lavazza Corporate Management Centre:

  • Commissioning Authority (supervisory authority): a body responsible for supervising the design, installation and testing of all plant systems with an impact on the building’s energy consumption;
  • LEED® AP (Accredited Professional or Certified Professional): a competent person in the certification process who is responsible for managing the design and construction team to obtain credits and to carry out regular inspections at the construction site;
  • LEED® manager within theexecutive company.
Sustainability first

The new Corporate Management Centre was designed in accordance with the highest sustainability criteria. 
An approach that Lavazza applies to all its processes and projects.

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