The Heart of Europe beats green on The World

Josef Kleindienst surveys the ongoing work on Germany island (background) and Monte-Carlo island (foreground).

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The developer behind the first villas to be built on The World archipelago says they will strive to achieve LEED platinum status, even though LEED ratings cannot be awarded to artificial island developments.

Work has started on Germany Island in The Heart of Europe, a six island development and first part of the 300 island archipelago to undergo building work. After four months of stabilisation works, final core testing of the island was completed last week and developers Kleindienst were awaiting the final go ahead to start the first construction.

Josef Kleindienst, CEO of The Kleindienst Group and its subsidiary Kleindienst Properties, the company behind the development, says that the natural environment the island development offers coupled with the need to create a self-contained infrastructure means that energy efficient systems aren’t just desirable, they’re necessary.

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“For us, the quality of this place is the quality nature has to offer: the clean water, a fresh air, nice beaches, and you have to follow this quality – and you can’t build a non-green building in this kind of environment. It’s very important to follow green building ideas. Reduce energy consumption, produce energy out of solar power systems and other ideas,” he says.

Kleindienst says the company will achieve its goals through solar power and other natural sources of renewable energy, such as a new generation of small and powerful wind generators. The six island development, which includes party island Monte-Carlo, Switzerland’s family oriented hotel, Austria – an island dedicated to weddings; St Petersburg with its hotel villas and Sweden, with a large shopping centre, will be linked with its own power grid. Wind and solar power will feed in to the multi-island grid and any shortcomings would be picked up by efficient diesel generators.

While the islands may not be able to be covered with a LEED rating or certificate, Kleindienst said that wouldn’t stop them following the system’s principles in its approach to building on the islands.

“I think LEED is a starting point for a country like the Emirates. You need regulations in place, and LEED is a well known one, and it only needs to be adjusted to this market and you have a good starting point for the emirates.

“For example, in LEED, you can earn one point with having an area where you can park bicycles. This is important in Europe, and it’s important in America but definitely not in Dubai because people do not use bicycles here.”

“If you look at LEED, it is an American system and these guys understand marketing. In Europe and Germany, you would not even get building permission if you were only following LEED standards. European standards are already higher than American standards. But the Americans know how to market their standards. Europeans don’t even have a common standard.”

The first of the 20 villas in Germany Island is due to be finished by the end of the year, while work on neighbouring party island Monte Carlo is expected to be ready in time for celebrations on New Year's Eve this year.