Olivia Centre: technology in service of people. Gdańsk’s business center sets the standards for modernity.

Few people know that Gdańsk’s Olivia Centre is the largest business center in Poland. However, the scale of solutions implemented here—from HVAC systems to security, sustainable construction, and wellbeing—shows that Olivia Centre not only matches global leaders but surpasses them in many areas. This is a place where technology works primarily for people: employees, tenants, and residents of the Tri-City.

Air Quality Like the White House. Advanced HVAC Systems

One of the key elements of Olivia’s modernity is its ventilation and air conditioning systems. In recent years, a series of upgrades have been carried out that significantly improved user comfort and safety. Among the installations that distinguish Olivia in the field of global business centers are air ionizers that remove viruses, PM2.5 and PM10 particulates, allergens, mold and fungi, and restore ionic balance. In recent years, the facility has gained a number of modern solutions, such as new automation for ventilation units, new condensing units, air heating options in central units, controllers managing the amount of supply air, F7 air filters, and individual thermal comfort controllers in leased areas. The implemented solutions directly impact the health and wellbeing of users – says Bogusław Wieczorek, the representative of the management board of Olivia Centre. This is particularly significant in times of increased air quality awareness, but also contributes to significantly more efficient resource management and savings for tenants: The replacement of ventilation units resulted in 15% energy savings, and the achieved energy efficiency reached a level of 3.17, where the highest global results reach 3.20.

Geothermal Energy in Service of Comfort and Environment

Olivia Star—the tallest building in Northern Poland—has been equipped with a geothermal system with heat pumps unique on a national scale, utilizing the Earth’s heat through several dozen vertical probes reaching 95 meters below the building’s lowest level. The system generates both heat and cooling, produces no harmful gases, and its seasonal energy efficiency exceeds 145%. This is an example of technology that simultaneously reduces operating costs, cuts emissions, and increases user comfort.

Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Construction

All Olivia buildings hold BREEAM certifications—from Very Good to Excellent. Importantly, Olivia is one of the few centers in Poland to certify buildings in the fully-fitted model, covering both common areas and leased spaces. In practice, certification translates into energy-efficient water management technologies, availability of alternative forms of transport, the highest material and construction standards, and resistance to extreme weather events.

24/7 Security: Intelligent Systems and Full Integration

Given that several thousand people work in Olivia daily, Olivia Centre places particular emphasis on employee safety. For this reason, it has implemented a number of solutions in the facilities: extensive CCTV monitoring, the GEMOS system integrating all security systems, digital image analytics, physical security present in the facility 24/7/365, central UPS batteries in N+1 configuration, two independent power sources, and gas suppression systems in server rooms. This is infrastructure that also matters to tenants, as it minimizes the risk of failures and ensures business continuity for companies with offices in Olivia.

Communication and Access to Information

Olivia’s management has been developing an information exchange system with tenants for years. Currently, the most important forms of communication are LCD screens located in all elevators of the center, social media profiles and closed groups for members of passion development clubs and sports teams, and the website. Applications also play an important role in communication and community integration. The most popular is MyOlivia, which provides mobile access to buildings (HID Mobile Access), a proprietary ticketing system, and the ability to purchase daily or subscription access to parking. Another solution available in Olivia is the Olivka app, where guests of dining spaces and event participants can collect points and then exchange them for discounts or free event tickets.

Climate Resilience and Decarbonization

Olivia Centre has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) for years—the largest global initiative bringing together sustainable businesses. At the same time, it conducts activities in accordance with global environmental and social responsibility standards (ESG), performing annual climate risk analyses (TCFD) and conducting carbon footprint audits (GHG Protocol). Olivia has its own decarbonization strategy, which also implements solutions supporting micromobility. Olivia is also implementing the Tork PaperCircle project, closing the loop on paper towels.

All implemented solutions have resulted in Olivia obtaining the prestigious WELL Health and Safety Rating certification, demonstrating that the facility represents the highest global standards of safety and health. Olivia Centre became the first business center in the world to achieve the maximum score of 25 out of 25 points in the prestigious WELL Health-Safety Rating certification. The assessment covers cleaning procedures, crisis preparedness, access to healthcare, air and water quality, and innovations, among others. Olivia Centre’s buildings met all 25 out of 25 possible criteria, achieving the maximum score that no office facility in the world had previously obtained—emphasizes Bogusław Wieczorek. Among the 25 analyzed categories were also those related to innovations and technologies operating in our facilities, and we also achieved the maximum number of points possible in these areas. This shows that the Gdańsk facility is among the most innovative and socially responsible centers in the world. The WELL HSR badge placed at building entrances informs every user of the highest level of safety and health care. This is a clear signal to employees and guests: here, the quality of the work environment is a priority.

Olivia Centre—A Technological Leader That Puts People at the Center

Olivia Centre is not an ordinary office complex. Years of implemented solutions and investments in technology allow us to speak of it as an ecosystem of modern technologies that improve air quality, increase safety, reduce energy consumption, support health, build community, and enhance work and life comfort. Many of these solutions serve as an example of how to effectively use innovation: with technology in service of people, not the other way around.

Olivia Is Growing and Will Soon Welcome Its First Residents

The experience gained in managing the business center has enabled the transfer of solutions to Olivia’s newest project: Olivia Pulse—the first residential building that will welcome its first residents this year. Olivia Pulse can be described as a single smart system, enabling automatic reduction of device operation during user absence, efficient energy and resource management, and activation when residents need them. Air conditioning, which will be standard in the facility, will turn off after opening a window, zoned LED lighting in corridors on all floors will be activated by motion sensors, and in the absence of presence in a given space, only selected light sources will illuminate. The operation of selected multimedia installations will also depend on user presence.

The facility will provide full digitization of building access and usage processes. Residents and guests will have access to the building and apartment without using keys, via an application (it will be possible to set up an application that will allow booking and opening the apartment from the app; cards will be used as standard for opening rooms, as there will be no physical keys in the building). This solution will enable fully remote apartment management, independent access management including for guests, and provide contactless parking access. The Olivia Pulse system will also allow full integration with the services, dining, sports, and wellbeing offerings available at Olivia Centre. The building’s application will be integrated with the MyOlivia app.

Electronic systems, however, are only part of the solutions that will be provided in the building. Olivia Pulse is being built to BREEAM certification standards, which means that smart and technological solutions are not an addition but an integral element of the project. This translates into the introduction of solutions affecting energy efficiency, rational water management, CO2 emission reduction, the use of durable and environmentally responsible finishing materials, whose quality is intended to ensure the building’s long-term operational efficiency and eliminate the need for frequent renovations and replacement of finishing materials.

By welcoming its first residents, Olivia Centre is not only taking another step on the path to innovation but is also becoming a fully mixed-use project—a multifunctional urban space where the lights never go out around the clock, and the project becomes part of vibrant Gdańsk.