Breogán Park in A Coruña awarded BREEAM Excellent rating in the “New Construction” category

The Breogán Park mixed-use development in the Spanish city of A Coruña has been awarded BREEAM Excellent accreditation in the “New Construction” category for its sustainable construction credentials.

Breogán Park is the first new-build commercial park in Spain to obtain this qualification in the design phase, with the development being recognised for its energy efficiency, protection of the environment, focus on wellbeing, promotion of job creation and economic growth, responsible production and consumption, emission reduction and investment in infrastructure for the sustainable development of the wider city.

The 60,000m² GLA retail park, located on the north coast of Galicia, will offer a mix of F&B, self-storage, co-working facilities, leisure opportunities and 7,000m² of sports activity space, all served by 2,600 parking spaces. In addition, its warehouse logistics premises will allow for a flexible mix of physical and online commerce.

The aim of the redevelopment design is to provide a destination which will be socially and commercially vibrant for decades to come for the city's residents as well as workers at Agrela Business Park, in which it is located. It is Spain’s first comprehensive transformation of a former shopping centre into a sustainable new commercial park within an urban regeneration framework.

The retail park will retain the two existing underground car parking levels and the structure of the former Dolce Vita shopping centre from 2008, which was also designed by Chapman Taylor.

The centre, named for a legendary figure from Irish Gaelic mythology whose sons were said to have brought Gaelic language and culture to Ireland from A Coruña (and who is widely celebrated in the Spanish city), is very well located, just a maximum of seven minutes' drive from anywhere in the city.

The project, by developers Pelayo Capital, represents the largest private investment in A Coruña, estimated at more than 100 million euros, with an estimated 2,200 local jobs created during the construction phase in addition to the 1,000 local jobs Breogán Park will offer when it is in operation. Chapman Taylor Director Carlos Díez comments: “The challenge we faced in this project was to achieve a balance between the needs of new commercial offers and the opportunity to implement many of the positive values that the existing building offered us. We drew on the existing structure and services to create a new, socially, commercially and environmentally sustainable urban landmark that will greatly improve the quality of life of the city and its inhabitants”.