Innovative allergy-free certification for Berlin development
The Am Tacheles district in Berlin has become the first real estate project worldwide to be certified by the Allergy Friendly Buildings Alliance (AFBA) using the new ECARF certification.
The development of the new urban quarter, the construction of the residential and office buildings, and even the outdoor areas will be monitored by AFBA experts and consultants from Buro Happold to ensure scientific and medical specifications are implemented.
In recent years, the ECARF (European Centre for Allergy Research Foundation) insignia has appeared on a vast range of products across multiple sectors to give consumers the reassurance that the manufacturers have worked to ensure ingredients are allergy-friendly and they have been tested by the allergy experts at ECARF.
Buro Happold’s European sustainability & wellbeing consultants were tasked with devising the mechanisms and framework for a certification system to work in a broad and diverse industry such as construction and property development – with an ECARF seal of approval that could become the sought-after allergy-friendly certification for everything from office developments to new homes to schools and universities.
Buro Happold is also delivering structural engineering consultancy on Am Tacheles. The ECARF certificate for the project includes a scientific and medical assessment of the scheduled construction materials and outdoor greenery. The examination includes all buildings in the district and includes floor and wall coverings, adhesives and sealing materials used, wall paints and varnishes, fittings of steel, aluminium, plastics and wood, air-conditioning devices and technical equipment, and extends through to the trees planted in public areas.
The assessment involves the project developer undergoing a multi-stage examination procedure that consists of analysis, execution, precertification, final examination and full certification.
Although people spend the majority of their time (more than 80%) in buildings, in the past little attention has been paid to allergy-friendly construction – be it for people’s homes, for workspaces, or in public buildings.
“A healthy environment is fundamental to sustainable development and is also medically evaluated,” explains Thomas Kraubitz, director and head of sustainability and climate in Europe for Buro Happold, who worked on the development of the new ECARF certification system.
“Here health becomes palpable, and the advantages of an allergy-free planning and execution can also be experienced by those without allergies, say through a conscious handling of construction materials and offering advice to tenants at an early stage.”
