The certification project covers 15 office buildings and is to be concluded within 12 months
Savills advises Acacia Point Capital Advisors, Asset Manager and co-investor of the Quinta da Fonte Business Ecosystem in obtaining BREEAM in-use certification for 15 buildings under management. This tool, used by 80% of the European market and with more than 2.2 million buildings in the process of certification, provides information that allows investors, owners, managers and occupants to determine and drive sustainable improvements in the operational performance of their assets.
In a workshop promoted by Acacia Point, together with Savills and in partnership with BRE Group, the BREEAM IN USE Certification was presented and explained to the various stakeholders involved in QDF (Tenants, Maintenance Teams, Architects, etc.), explaining the rationale of this investment, the objective to obtain this certification and also what direct benefits generates.
ESG policies are now at the top of the agenda so it becomes pressing to understand the operational cost of buildings by analyzing their performance. BREEAM IN-USE tool from BRE Group allows an average reduction of CO2 in the order of 22%, being adaptable to various types of spaces from office buildings to industrial, through retail, tourism and residential.
Youcef Maharzi, European Business Manager, BRE Group, states that "our awareness of sustainability has changed. Sustainability is not just about carbon. That is why it is important to change the way we live and it is necessary that such changes be accessible to all people."
Quinta da Fonte celebrates 30 years in 2022 and is home to leading international technology, pharmaceutical, engineering and financial services companies. It’s overriding pursuit is to become recognised as the most sustainable office park in Lisbon and aims to provide greater comfort to its users through the creation of outdoor areas, green spaces, amenities, electrical mobility infrastructure, among others. "With more than 35,000 m2 of green landscaped areas, a new retail gallery, parapharmacy, fruit shop, beautician and restaurants, we have a renovated infrastructure in Quinta da Fonte to create an all-inclusive and sustainable community", stresses Luís Rocha Antunes, Managing Director Acacia Capital Point Advisors Portugal.
According to André Inocêncio, Head of Property Management at Acacia Point Portugal, it is a goal to "reduce water consumption by about 50% within 24 months, and to reduce and optimize energy consumption through the installation of photovoltaic panels and green energy."
Nuno Fideles, Associate Architect BREEAM AP & Sustainability Consultant at Savills Portugal, stresses that "this will be a process that will allow us to analyze about 900 parameters of the various buildings under review and that will be subject to reassessment every 3 years. BRE Group's criteria are rigorous and accurate and, only in this way, will it be possible to reach the "Excellent" level of BREEAM IN-USE in 2023."