Union Investment Real Estate has said that three buildings from portfolios it manages are among the first in Germany to be awarded certification by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB).
Union Investment Real Estate has said that three buildings from portfolios it manages are among the first in Germany to be awarded certification by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB).
The council presented quality awards to the Laim290 and Riem Buro West office buildings in Munich and the Emporio project in Hamburg. The project involves extensive refurbishment of an existing high-rise building. The certificates were presented by Germany's minister for transport, building and urban affairs, Wolfgang Tiefensee, and DGNB president Prof Werner Sobek last week at the BAU 2009 show in Munich.
'The DGNB quality award requires compliance with extremely strict standards that bear comparison with international certification systems such as LEED and BREEAM. It thus represents a high level of recognition for our properties,' said Reinhard Kutscher, chairman of the Management Board of Union Investment Real Estate. 'The award system provides detailed, transparent information on the holistic quality of the buildings, covering economic viability, energy efficiency and user comfort.'
As a founding member of the DGNB, Union Investment was actively involved in developing the certification system, which is specially tailored to the needs and requirements of the German market. 'Awarding the first certificates sends out an important signal that will lead to greater market transparency and enable investors to make better informed decisions,' Kutscher said.
