First energy cert awarded for European residential scheme

Portuguese property developer Grupo Andre Jordan said on Tuesday that it has received the first energy efficiency certificate in Europe for a residential project.

The housing estate Belas Clube de Campo on the outskirts of Lisbon met the requirements of directive no. 2002/91/CE regarding energy efficiency. Complying with this directive will be obligatory for all new buildings from January 2009 onwards.

Home Energy, a company specialising in energy certification and renewable energy for the home, granted the certification after an audit of the houses and apartments that comprise the Belas Clube de Campo development. Around 91% of properties were categorised as class B and 9% of the remaining properties received a B- rating, the level currently required for new constructions.

Gilberto Jordan, CEO of Andre Jordan and president of Planbelas, highlighted: 'Once again our company has shown its commitment to the environment and sustainability. We were the world's first to obtain environmental certification for our Vilamoura golf courses (1998) and Marina de Vilamoura (2001), first receiving ISO 14001 and later ISO 9001 certification. In 2007, we were the first in Europe to certify the management of the whole property value chain to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards.'

Belas Clube de Campo is located in the hills of Sintra, 20 minutes from the centre of the Portuguese municipalities of Lisbon, Estoril and Cascais. The complex comprises a combination of apartments, single-family homes and town-houses, sporting facilities including a football pitch, tennis courts and various swimming pools, a children's club and a small supermarket, as well as a professional golf course.

Grupo Andre Jordan specialises in general urban community planning. It was founded by its current chairman, André Jordan, and in previous years has developed the Quinta do Lago and Vilamoura complexes in the Algarve.