Sustainable office development is gaining ground in Central and Eastern Europe, according to a new report by JLL.
Sustainable office development is gaining ground in Central and Eastern Europe, according to a new report by JLL.
Green building certification has been rapidly expanding in the CEE region over recent years and currently stands at over 1.75 million m2. Poland leads the CEE with over 40% of the region's green building certification (730,000 m2).
Commenting on the report 'Offices: Going Green in CEE', Kevin Turpin, head of research and consultancy CEE, JLL, said: 'Commercial real estate is now generally recognised as pivotal in the fight against global environmental challenges, including climate change and the consumption of increasingly scarce resources. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that, globally, buildings are responsible for more than 40% of energy use, one-third of greenhouse gas emissions and 30% of raw material use'.
By the year 2020, all new buildings in the European Union will have to prove that they are nearly zero-energy buildings. By the year 2050, carbon emissions from all buildings need to be as near to zero as possible.
The two most well-known and popular green certification systems are LEED and BREEAM. Energy and water use, carbon emission as well as the application of eco-friendly solutions and materials are all analysed in the certification process. The majority of certification methods also have options to improve and certify sustainable improvements for existing buildings, such as BREEAM In-Use and LEED EB:OM
At least 2.5 million m2 of existing developments or pipeline projects in the CEE region were registered and are targeting green certification, with Poland accounting for 700,000 m2. However, the report notes that many planned BREEAM projects have not yet been registered, so the final volume of potential pipeline in Poland will be even higher.
In the majority of markets, a very high percentage of new projects in the pipeline, 100% in some markets, will be targeting green certification. Pipeline projects also include the first green buildings from Serbia and are on the up in Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.
In the pipeline of office certifications projects, less operations and maintenance certifications and more new build certifications are being seen, which is due to the large pipeline in Poland (mainly Warsaw) and a gradual return of development to other parts of the region.
Click here for the full report.
Want to hear from experts about the latest developments and opportunities in CEE? PropertyEU is holding a CEE Investment Briefing in London on 8 May, and a at ReDI - the CEE Trade Fair for Retail Investment - on 28 May.