Exclusive: Onyx Building becomes first WELL Gold building in Belgium
Immogra is developing a mixed-use building park in Diegem that combines comfort, sustainability, and well-being. Park 7 lives up to its promise as the healthiest office site in Belgium with the WELL certification. The Onyx Building became the first in Belgium to achieve the WELL Gold Final certification in December 2023. VK architects+engineers, part of Sweco, is assisting Immogra in obtaining this certification through an integrated approach to techniques, stability, fire safety engineering, acoustics, and sustainable design.
Park 7 primarily offers offices and various shared facilities on its green campus. With this groundbreaking campus, Immogra is responding to the growing need for flexible work environments. The future-oriented Park 7 places emphasis on the end user and their changing needs.
WELL, evidence-based impact on well-being
The indoor environment has a significant impact on the experience of a space, especially in a society where we spend an average of 90% of our time indoors. The indoor environment has a proven impact on the health, engagement, absenteeism, and productivity of end users.
The WELL standard encompasses evidence-based strategies to promote spaces as healthy environments. A study published in the Journal of Building and Environment in 2022 demonstrated that perceived mental and physical health significantly improves in WELL-certified offices.
WELL distinguishes itself as a certification system by being renewable, among other things, by assessing end user satisfaction.
We wanted to combine healthy outdoor facilities with a healthy and sustainable building. Moreover, being the first Well-certified office building in Belgium with the Onyx Building is the icing on the healthy cake.
Immogra
Park 7 sets the standard with first WELL Gold certification in Belgium
Since December 2023, the Onyx Building has held the distinction of being the first in Belgium to achieve the WELL Gold Final certification and has already surpassed half a year of use as a WELL Gold building. The rest of the Park 7 building park will follow suit. The integrated design team of VK architects+engineers, part of Sweco, focused on the WELL Core and Shell scheme for Onyx. This integrates fundamental principles into the core and shell of the building, including building structure, window and glazing integration, building proportions, climate control, and water quality.
This means that end users can enjoy worry-free drinking water after rigorous testing. Daylight models ensure sufficient natural light, supplemented by artificial light according to optimal comfort requirements. Furthermore, our acoustic experts have created a work environment with minimal noise pollution. The ventilation system operates with 100% outdoor air.
Comfort and sustainability go hand in hand
Park 7 demonstrates that sustainability and comfort go hand in hand with an integrated design approach. In addition to the WELL Gold certification, the Onyx Building has also received the BREEAM Excellent Final certification. Several measures make the project nearly carbon-neutral, including PV panels, energy-efficient heat pumps, and a ground-coupled heat exchanger system.
Our experts look forward to further supporting Immogra’s ambitions and making Park 7 the healthiest office site in Belgium.
