People felt that there was no real need because Russia has always been an energy superpower, and that it wasn’t in its interest to save energy
The Sochi Winter Olympics has triggered a seismic shift towards low- energy building in Russia. Liza Young details the environmental features of the key venues, and speaks to the English head of the Russian Green Building Council about the challenges of driving low carbon design in a country with access to cheap fuel
ICEBERG SKATING PALACE
Capacity: 12,000 Contractor: CJSC INGEOKOM Association Architect/engineer: GUP MNIIP Mosproekt-4
Energy efficiency measures Energy efficient façade uses glass with
MERIT TECHNICAL T 32
he concept of green building is relatively new to Russia. In a country blessed with an abundance of natural resources and cheap energy,
developers had little incentive to specify low carbon buildings. Instead, the common mantra has been to build it quick, and build it cheap. Winning the bid for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games has marked a turning point for the Russian construction industry. The International Olympic Committee makes
CIBSE Journal February 2014
sustainability a condition of hosting the Games, and Sochi’s successful bid meant the Russian government had to put low carbon building high on its agenda for the first time in its history. Putin’s government took its task seriously
and promised environmental certification for all 200 of the construction projects being built to serve the Games. The Russian Olympic organisers turned to
the recently established Russian office of the Green Building Council (RuGBC) for advice
low U-value, light reflecting silver paint, modern composite panels and two- chamber glass units for maximum daylight and optimal shade for the building
Air recirculation system Recirculating cooling system for ice resurfacing
on delivering a sustainable Olympics. Under the leadership of Englishman Guy Eames, the RuGBC introduced the organisers to environmental consultants with Olympic experience, including Buro Happold, PRP Architects and Aecom, and encouraged the Russian project teams to work towards BREEAM certification on 10 key projects. Eames said there was a steep learning
curve. ‘There was a lack of awareness of what green building was and the opportunities it offered. We had a lot of people laughing in our face saying they did not believe that green building in Russia would ever take root.’ The Sochi Olympic venues form two clusters: the coastal development, in Sochi’s Adler district, and the mountain group near Krasnaya Polyana village. The Olympic Park in the coastal cluster combines sporting venues, parkland and infrastructure, including a new CHP district
heating plant, water treatment plants and 7.5km of dedicated cycleways. The new railway and highway connects the coastal and
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