Green Living Concept transforming residential construction

Novi Sad-based Erker Inženjering is providing its tenants with living conditions to be envied. The Green Living Concept was first introduced in the residential building on Vojvode Šupljikca Street in Novi Sad, with the idea to apply it to all of the company’s future projects.

Green oases on top of high-rise buildings are no news – tenants worldwide enjoy their time isolated from noise and exhaust emissions. Apart from offering unique views, green roofs are a place to sunbathe, garden, barbecue, and even grow fruit and vegetables. The building on Vojvode Šupljikca Street in Novi Sad offers this privilege to tenants of three penthouses.

Early this year, Erker Inženjering completed the construction of a building on 57 Futoška St. in Novi Sad, for the first time applying the Green Living Concept in its entirety, including a green roof, an eco-booth for waste sorting, and green terraces, as well as equipment contributing to sustainability and efficient energy use. This approach ensures a higher-quality microclimate, making life in buildings more humane.

The seven-story building with 8,975 square meters of usable space on 57 Futoška St. has a two-level underground garage, commercial space on the ground floor, 86 residential units, ranging from studios to five-room apartments, and 10 retail units. Apart from 62 underground parking spaces, the building also offers 20 outdoor parking spaces on its grounds.

The building was designed with sustainability in mind, with energy efficiency features built in including:

• mineral wool 10-20 cm thick;
• low-emissivity glass, windows and doors made with thermal insulation materials;
• calorimeters in all units;
• condensing boilers.

To help improve energy efficiency and reduce costs, each unit was fitted with sets enabling the installation of individual water meters if the metering system should change.

Elements of Green Living Concept

1 – Green roof

A 117.5-square meter rooftop garden with a children’s playground is accessible to all tenants. Apart from its aesthetic role, the garden provides thermal insulation, lowering heating costs by up to 20%. This green area absorbs sound and reduces noise levels and extends the roof’s lifespan by protecting it from UV radiation. At the same time, greenery purifies the air, making for a better-quality microclimate.

In addition to the common garden space, the building features 600 square meters of green spaces belonging to the penthouse units.

2 – Green terraces

The building on 57 Futoška St. is the first facility in Novi Sad to feature with green terraces. The balcony fences are designed as flower boxes with an installed drip irrigation system and planted greenery. The drip irrigation system ensures that the tenants’ greenery remains lush without the obligation of watering, while the plants receive just the right amount of water.

3 – Green walls

Green walls are another green building innovation. The hydroponic system, using no soil, is used to grow plants that otherwise thrive in naturally occurring vertical conditions. The end result is visually pleasant greenery purifying the air in indoor spaces.

4 – Waste recycling eco-booth

An eco-booth located on the ground floor serves for sorting recyclables and comes with two baling press machines for PET bottles and aluminum cans. Cooperation with firms collecting recyclables enables tenants to recycle paper, plastic, and cans, bolstering the building’s budget and raising environmental awareness.

5 – Bicycle service point

The bicycle storage room includes wall-mounted racks and various repair tools and equipment. The station comes with a bicycle pump fit for inflating pumps with all types of valves.

Erker Inženjering’s Green Living Concept lays the groundwork for what not only green and sustainable building should be, but what urban construction should be in general. The idea is to expand the Green Living Concept not only throughout Novi Sad, but also throughout Serbia and the region.