The Visitor Center solar-powered building located within the Test Center of Nokian Tires in Spain it obtained LEED v4 Platinum certification for leadership in ecological buildings. Platinum is the highest level of LEED certification. The company has already announced LEED v4 Gold and Silver certifications for its administrative and manufacturing facilities in the United States.
Nokian Tires’ 300-hectare Test Center is located in Santa Cruz de la Zarza, a small town about an hour’s drive south of Madrid. The Test Center includes 10 test circuits and the Visitor Center. Inspectors highlighted that innovation in design, energy efficiency and the quality of the indoor environment were the key factors for the attribution of this high level of certification. “I would like to thank our wonderful team, both in Spain and Finland. The result of teamwork is this stunning, beautiful and unique building“, he has declared Juha Pirhonen, Director of Technology Projects at Nokian Tires. “Platinum is an excellent result for LEED v4 certification. The standards were very high and we received good marks especially for excellent energy efficiency and energy performance“.
They were solar panels installed for the entire Test Center and 21% of the electricity will be used in the Visitor Center building. Innovations in design include sustainable wastewater management, with rainwater used for irrigation and the installation of low-flow water systems, to reduce water consumption. The company has also preserved 25 hectares of wildlife protection land in the vicinity of the Test Center. The area has a nesting house for hawks and owls and aquatic elements for the birds, which will be monitored over the next 3 years. Holm oaks and other trees have also been planted on the site. Together with local universities and other partners, Nokian Tires participates in the cultivation and study of guayule, a possible new raw material to be used for the production of eco-friendly tires. The plantation is managed by local farmers.
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