Sofia Airport Center Awarded Best in "Public Buildings with Business Functions" and "Green Buildings"

Tishman International Companies' Sofia Airport Center (SAC) has captured two awards in the 11th national "Building of the Year" contest, sponsored by the Bulgarian Ministry of Regional Development. SAC, which is Bulgaria's first commercial Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified development, garnered awards in two categories: "Public Buildings with Business Functions" and "Green Buildings."
"We are pleased that Sofia Airport Center has been recognized with these prestigious awards," said Alan D. Levy, Chairman of Los Angeles-based Tishman International Companies, SAC's developer and owner/operator. "We believe this development will serve as an example for future commercial projects in Bulgaria."
"We saw the potential in the Bulgarian market many years ago. I am proud we managed to be successful not only in the means of our own development, but by attracting international companies to be our tenants and expand their business in the country," said Julian Edwards, Tishman's European Managing Director.
Awards were presented at a ceremony attended by representatives of leading companies and institutions associated with construction of the most cutting-edge buildings and urban developments throughout Bulgaria.
One of the key points towards achieving this success was the choice of our subcontractors and partners involved in the construction of the Office Building A2. Siemens provided a modern, automated building management system (BMS). The unique Variable Air Volume (VAV) HVAC system is managed by the BMS, which allows a complete control of the conditions and energy consumption. The intelligent building management system by Siemens, which meets the international standards of LEED and BREAM, makes Sofia Airport Center one of the most energy-efficient business complexes in our nation and Eastern Europe.
"For every building, it is critical to achieve optimal comfort with minimum energy costs, which is a key indicator for the energy efficiency of the building", said Plamen Pavlov, Project Manager Building Technologies at Siemens Bulgaria. "The precise and economical use of energy is the main advantage in adopting such a system. The functions of the BMS system used in Sofia Airport Center, offer class A+ energy efficiency and ROI in short term period," he added.
SAC consists of 180,000 square meters (1.8-million square feet) of Class A office space and 30,000 square meters (301,489 square-feet) of logistics and warehouse space, which feature state-of-the-art security and safety systems. Future plans call for a high-quality, 175-room hotel with recreational, dining and conference facilities, as well as additional logistics space.