AIDA Home awarded DGNB Seal of Approval for Sustainable Construction

The new office complex “AIDA Home” of the cruise line AIDA Cruises in Rostock, Germany, is the first office building in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to be certified with the Silver Seal of Approval for Sustainable Construction by the DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council). In the evaluation of AIDA Home, factors including resource-conserving use of natural materials, renewable primary energy, and drinking water were examined. Criteria such as land use, accessibility, and thermal and sound insulation were also included in the certification.

"The Seal of Approval for Sustainable Construction emphasizes the consistent commitment of AIDA Cruises to resource-conserving and environmentally friendly business,” says Dr. Monika Griefahn, Chief Sustainability Officer at AIDA Cruises. “On our AIDA ships, we have for years been relying on innovative management and technology standards for sustainability in the cruise industry. AIDA Home shows that we also live up to this claim on land.”

AIDA Home was designed and built according to the latest environmental standards. AIDA Home is heated and cooled using a combination of geothermal technology, compression refrigeration, and district heating. The new office complex also features a modern indoor climate concept with hybrid facade, thermal component activation, and displacement ventilation, as well as radiant heating and cooling ceiling panels. This guarantees a perfect indoor climate any time of the year. Efficient lighting and a lighting control system ensure good visibility. This results in up to 60 percent energy savings and considerably reduced CO2 emissions.

Designed by Rostock architect Tilo Ries, the new construction “AIDA Home” is made up of two connected buildings in which design elements of the existing AIDA office complex “Silo 4 & Silo 5” as well as typical design elements of the AIDA ships were incorporated. A light-flooded Theatrium in the entrance area reaching up through two levels and connecting the six- and five-level buildings forms the heart and communicative hub of the building.

AIDA Home is the new workplace for 400 employees at the Rostock site. In total, AIDA Cruises currently employs 6900 people, 900 of them on land and 6000 on board. Ten modern cruise ships that are operated according to the highest international quality, environmental, and safety standards currently belong to the AIDA fleet. The eleventh ship, AIDAprima, will be put into service in October 2015. It is the first new ship of a new generation of cruise ships. A sister ship will follow in 2016. For more information about sustainability at AIDA, visit www.aida.de/aidacares.