Alpha IC accompanies Germany's first LEED ND Platinum-certified neighborhood
The sun shines on the roof terrace of Salvis Consulting AG's Sugar Valley marketing suite, overlooking the 40,000 m² construction site in Munich's Obersendling district. In front of the viewer, there are excavation pits, sand, half-demolished buildings, and construction vehicles. The adjacent room is beautifully decorated. We feel pride, excitement, and anticipation.
Sugar Valley is the name of the neighborhood that will be built here. It is a charming name that stands for a truly sustainable vision. We are delighted that Salvis Consulting AG has received Germany's first LEED ND (Neighborhood Development) v4 Platinum certification for the planning of the Sugar Valley project. There is only one other project in Europe that has received this prestigious award, and only 13 projects worldwide currently meet this standard.
We were able to contribute to this achievement by leveraging our expertise from the earliest planning phase: through contracting consulting, sustainability and certification consulting, as well as facility management and digitalization consulting.
And the journey continues: the foundations for the first buildings will soon be laid on the large construction site. Among other things, The Crown and The Forge buildings are being constructed here, and we are already actively helping to shape their path to greater sustainability and further LEED certifications.
The result will be a neighborhood that offers added value for investors, users, and society while conserving natural resources and protecting the environment. The course has been set for a livable future.
LEED ND Platinum: Not just a label, but a testament to our commitment
Sugar Valley shows how a strong vision, a concrete 100-point sustainability plan from the client, and good management of conflicting goals can create real added value. When sustainability is not only considered but also consistently implemented—even when goals conflict—the result is a project that sets new standards. With an impressive 81 points, Sugar Valley was certified platinum – a clear sign of real impact.
We have made our contribution visible based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The key question remains: How can all this be achieved and remain affordable?
A clear vision and objectives are the compass for the project. How is it possible to create a livable future without exceeding the budget or time frame?
And what if we had to weigh not only time, money, and quality, but also impact, responsibility, and sustainability? Ultimately, the well-known magic triangle of project management, consisting of cost, time, and quality, is decisive for successful implementation.
The good news is that sustainable decisions can be made affordable. To achieve this, it is helpful to rethink familiar conflicts of interest and balance the priorities, external constraints, and framework conditions of the project with its impact.
One example of this is water conservation in the neighborhood through highly efficient fittings. While 40% of water will be saved in the entire neighborhood in the future, consumption costs will decrease, conserving the precious resource of water as well as the users' wallets.
The key to finding the best possible solutions to conflicting goals often lies in clearly defining impact targets and the economic framework at an early stage. To this end, it is helpful to involve experts and project partners in the early planning phase in order to be able to make cost-efficient, responsible decisions.
Another example is the district's heating and cooling supply: it is to be 100% fossil-free, but it must not cost more. How can this be achieved?
Heating and cooling of the future: affordable decarbonization through smart contracting
Energy contracting is an innovative business model that encompasses the planning, financing, installation, and operation of energy systems by an external service provider—the contractor.
For projects that focus on sustainable and resource-efficient building concepts, energy contracting offers an attractive, predictable, and budgetable solution for implementing efficient and climate-friendly energy supply.
The contracting consultation for the Sugar Valley neighborhood began with the idea of heating and cooling the neighborhood 100% fossil-free today, without incurring additional costs compared to conventional district heating and cooling. Matthias Domke, partner and expert in contracting consulting, supported Salvis AG right from the conception phase in developing and defining the framework conditions and selecting the project partner.
In order to be innovative and effective, fair contract design and partnerships on an equal footing are also required here. As a result, the first two buildings will be resilient to regulatory and environmental requirements.
Would you like to learn more about energy concepts and energy contracting? Click here.
Future-proof instead of stranded: The first two buildings in Sugar Valley will be 1.5 °C-ready
The Crown and The Forge are the names of the first two buildings to be constructed on the site, which will meet high sustainability standards, such as highly efficient insulation of the building envelope to fall below the EG40 building standard in accordance with GEG. Thanks to the fossil-free heating and cooling supply concept in the neighborhood, the two buildings will remain well below the permitted emission limit and will therefore not be stranded.
Thanks to fossil-free heating and cooling and targeted measures to increase energy efficiency, both buildings will remain permanently below the permissible emission limits until 2049 and 2050, respectively.
You can find out more about green building and building certification here.
Digitalization with impact: Alpha IC thinks digitally for the neighborhood
Alpha IC is supporting Sugar Valley with digitalization consulting that will create real added value in the neighborhood. The starting point was a maturity assessment, on the basis of which a tailor-made and efficient digitalization strategy was developed.
At the heart of this will be the neighborhood app, which bundles applications for tenants, users, and operators—from access management and room reservations to mobility offers and energy consumption dashboards. The app integrates public transport connections and neighborhood-specific use cases, coordinated with Salvis Consulting AG.
In addition, dashboard solutions ensure transparency and controllability in operation. The app thus becomes the basis for smart and sustainable neighborhood living.
A smart digitization strategy requires early planning so that well-thought-out interfaces can be created that enable the use of planned infrastructures.
Further information can be found here.
FM with vision: Operations already considered during planning
Alpha IC incorporates facility management as an integral part of planning – not as a downstream discipline. For Sugar Valley, an FM-compliant macro concept for supply and disposal was created, which serves as the basis for urban land-use planning.
In the detailed planning stage, component-specific delivery and disposal processes were developed, tailored to the diverse uses in the neighborhood. The FM organization takes complex interrelationships into account and specifically links up with digitization and sustainability issues.
The result is a neighborhood that is not only built, but can also be operated in a future-proof manner – efficiently, sustainably, and user-oriented.
Sugar Valley shows that when vision, responsibility, and economic efficiency are combined, places are created that have an impact far beyond their borders. Alpha IC is proud to be part of this milestone – and ready to continue shaping the future of urban development together with courageous partners.
Further information on facility management consulting can be found here.
Ready for neighborhoods with impact?
Are you planning a future-oriented neighborhood or would you like to transform existing structures?
Let's make an impact together.
Alpha IC supports you with interdisciplinary consulting – from vision to implementation.
👉 Learn more about our services.
