EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS • • •

design and technology will minimize both the car- bon footprint and other environmental impacts such as water use. At the same time, thanks to this project, the Vietnamese building sector is better equipped to design sustainable buildings. (see text box). The new IFAD headquarters in Rome, incorporating sustainable design features in the choice of materi- als, building envelope, windows, heating-cooling systems, lighting, interior design, building control systems. The new home of UNOPS headquarters and other UN organizations in Copenhagen – the “UN City” – which is to be completed by 2013 and is designed to meet the highest national standards of energy efficiency and sustainability. The ICAO Headquarters in Montréal (Place de la Cité Internationale), obtained Canada’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB), a benchmark in prop- erty management in terms of both energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.

To reduce GHG emissions, 24 organizations of the UN system have carried out assessments and improve- ments on at least some of their facilities. This includes hardware investments (improving insulation of the building envelope, replacing boilers, switching to

WMO Headquarters building: A model of energy efficiency

The new WMO Headquarters building reflects the or- ganization’s commitment to environmental protection and energy efficient management. A system of Cana- dian wells runs vertically through the building, through which cold air is drawn up, rising as it heats up, thereby maintaining the building at a constant temperature between 20 and 26 degrees Centigrade. An innovative double façade – or protective skin outside the core of the building – functions as a thermal flue. When closed, the outer skin provides insulation from cold weather in winter, and shade from over-heating in the summer. The outer skin also provides an effective ventilation system to complement the Canadian wells – in the summer automatic ventilators operate during the hours before dawn, drawing in cold air from the basement through stairwells. Glass interior walls make optimal use of natu- ral light, reducing costs from artificial lighting. Further savings are achieved through motion sensors to activate lighting and the use of energy efficient bulbs.

compact fluorescent lights, installing double-glazing) and modified building control (restricting operational hours for indoor heating-cooling systems, connecting ventilation and lighting to motion sensors, regulating heating-cooling through sensors in each part of the

UNIDO Headquarters: Environmental approaches in building management at the Vienna International Centre

The impressive modern building of the Vienna International Centre (VIC) is currently shared by four international orga- nizations IAEA, UNIDO, UNOV/UNODC and CTBTO. The VIC complex covers an area of 180’000 square meters compris- ing nearly 4’500 offices and nine conference rooms and ac- commodating nearly 4’000 staff members plus up to 1’000 visitors each day. Maintenance and operating costs of the of- fice complex are shared by the VIC-based organizations. The facility is managed by the Buildings Management Services, an organization operated under UNIDO management.

Buildings Management Services has been putting energy saving and environmental protection measures at the top of its agenda. These measures have not only contributed tremendously to save energy and protect the environment, but have also enhanced the safety, security and reliability of the VIC and brought about a modern and state-of-the- art office working environment.

The replacement of façade window panes resulted in energy savings for heating (27 per cent), cooling (17 per cent), and total annual cost savings of €300 000 to €450 000. In addition, lighting systems were modernized by re- placing the old lighting systems with modern ones. Nearly 43 000 light fixtures were replaced in 4’500 offices, ga- rages and staircases. This halved electricity consumption

for lighting and saved a calculated €250 000 a year. The condensation pipes on 15’000 air-conditioning units were replaced, significantly improving cooling capacity while lowering energy consumption.

To improve water management in the facility, toilets, sprin- kler systems and manual irrigation water systems were connected to groundwater wells to save drinking water. Several measures were implemented to reduce water use in sanitary areas.

To reduce paper use, paper towel dispensers in sanitary ar- eas of VIC have been replaced with washable cloth towel roll dispensers. Furthermore all contractors have been asked to use only environmentally-friendly products and detergents.

Special waste bins and containers were installed on VIC prem- ises to improve the recycling rate. All paper waste is now col- lected separately and dispatched for 100 per cent recycling.

An initial energy audit revealed that further ecological and economic savings could be achieved. The implementa- tion of the recommendations, which were made based on the initial audit, were discussed by the VIC-wide buildings committee and the UNIDO Climate Team and will be evalu- ated further.

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