LEED-certified head office for Naturgas Energía

Working in an attractive, sustainable environment – was the goal for Naturgas Energía's new head office. The Spanish energy group has recently moved to a listed historical building in Bilbao. For the property's renovation they consciously called on sustainable, ecological technology, among which also energy-efficient ETAP lighting. Their efforts were rewarded with a Platinum LEED certificate. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design and is an internationally recognised certificate for sustainable construction.

In April 2013 Naturgas Energía moved into the old pharmaceutical centre of Calle General Concha in Bilbao, listed as Protección Básica by the city's town and country planning. Whilst the building's facades remained intact, the inside was completely emptied out and renovated in accordance with ecodesign principles.

Minimalist design, multifaceted nature
For the renovation the architects of IMB Arquitectos opted for ETAP's Kardó lighting. Not only due to the minimalist design (90 mm wide) but also for its multifaceted nature: in the same profile, emergency lighting and smoke detectors were also integrated, in addition to lighting modules. The luminaires, DALI-controlled and fitted with 54W lamps, form long, uninterrupted light lines that run through corridors and offices. Specially designed corner elements ensure that the lines can create angles of 45 and 90 degrees.
In the conference rooms, D42 LED downlights were installed, which stand out with their high maintenance factor and long service life. After 50,000 burning hours the LEDs still achieve 96% of the luminous flux, which guarantees years of efficiency for the installation.

Rewarded with a LEED certificate
The sustainable renovation resulted in a nice reward for Naturgas. Igor Ojanguren, sales director at TAO Iluminación is pleased: “We were able to provide the client with an aesthetically pleasing installation, combined with excellent energy-efficiency. We were rewarded with a LEED certificate for the result, to everyone's satisfaction. It represents the acknowledgement of our commitment to treating the environment respectfully and thoughtfully."