FLOATING SOLAR

An obsolete building located near the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo has been renovated into the first certified Passive House project in South Asia.

The Star Innovation Centre is a product development facility that’s been designed by Jordan Parnass Digital Architecture to reach ultra-highperformance efficiency standards.

It is one of only two certified Passive House factory buildings in the world, and annual energy consumption will be cut by more than 75% compared to a conventionally ‘efficient’ modern industrial building.

The Star Innovation Centre is intended to be a global model for the entire garment industry as it dramatically reduces the waste, carbon emissions and fossil fuels typically required for demolition and new construction.

It also simultaneously promotes Star Garment Group’s commitment to maintaining high standards in social, environmental, ethical and safety compliance.

Careful design and engineering of the building systems and enclosures has ensured that workers enjoy year-round comfort in a workspace that provides abundant natural light, low humidity and filtered fresh air, and maintains temperatures near a constant 24°C.

Thorough testing of airtightness and remote monitoring of the ongoing energy usage provide quantitative confirmation of the building’s performance, helping to achieve projected operational cost savings for the client and upgraded workplace environmental standards for the employees.