BASF's Eco-Friendly Head Office Now LEED Gold Certified

BASF Istanbul Headquarters Achieves LEED Gold Certification through Building Improvements

BASF's headquarters in Istanbul has obtained LEED Gold Certification, an environmentally friendly building certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

The BASF headquarters, which houses functional units including finance, procurement, logistics, supply chain, information technology, corporate communications and human resources, as well as sales offices, complies with LEED criteria in project design and construction, preventing negative environmental impacts of the built structure.

Thanks to the strategies and systems used within the project scope, operating costs during the headquarters' operation are reduced, while comfort for building users is increased and energy and water conservation is achieved.

Having become one of the world's few LEED Gold Certified offices, the BASF General Directorate office integrates numerous environmental and human-friendly features into project design and construction, while sustainable strategies and solutions are implemented under main categories including Sustainable Sites and Location, Water and Energy Efficiency, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and User Comfort.

In this context, water consumption at the BASF office, where efficient water fixtures are used, is reduced by over 30%, while approximately 30% savings are achieved in lighting energy.

At the BASF headquarters, where LEED lighting quality requirements are met through design and product selection, more than 75% of the lighting is controlled by daylight sensors and more than 95% is controlled by occupancy sensors.

More than 90% of electronic equipment in the office is certified with "Energy Star," recognized as an international energy-saving standard.

At the BASF office which received LEED Gold Certification, waste such as paper, plastic and glass are collected and recovered at recycling points established within the facility, thereby minimizing environmental impact.

Furthermore, more than 20 building materials used in the office carry 'Environmental Product Declaration' certifications, i.e., EPD certificates given to products with reduced environmental impact from production stages onwards, and over 20% of the total material content is recycled, thereby reducing natural resource consumption.

The mechanical systems created to improve indoor air quality at BASF's office are designed to provide 30% increased fresh air to the space, while more than half of the materials used are selected to be low-emission.

Through open office planning for employees, the BASF office provides users with wide visibility from their seating positions.

However, the increased noise levels resulting from the open office concept, one of the major concerns for employees, is addressed with BASF's melamine resin foam Basotect®. Thus, through the use of Basotect® in the BASF office, an example is provided of how sound absorption and office design can be used together.

The General Directorate office is the third building among BASF's facilities in Turkey to earn LEED certification. The Logistics and Technical Development Center building at BASF's Gebze production facility had previously received LEED Platinum certification in recent years, making it Turkey's first industrial building certified with the highest LEED rating.

Additionally, the management building at BASF's Dilovani production facility was developed and restored in line with LEED standards with regard to energy efficiency, use of ecological products and protection of natural habitats, and in 2012 received "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold" certification, making it Turkey's first LEED Gold Certified renovation project.

Following the LEED Gold Certification gained with the new office building, BASF became one of the organizations with the most green building certifications outside the real estate sector.

Innovative Human-Centered Design Creating a New Working Culture

In the new open office design of the BASF headquarters, the company's working culture and practices were also transformed to create a completely new work and living space.

At the same time, to prevent monotony and repetitive layout arrangements, socialization, meeting and conference areas serving different purposes were organized. Along with the design, BASF's innovative, dynamic and colorful identity was highlighted.