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Setting a new standard for retrofitted offices

Case Study Savills Portugal

Savills is a global real estate services provider with a network of more than 39,000 people in over 600 offices across the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East. Savills advises corporate, institutional and private clients to acquire, lease, develop or realise the value of residential and commercial property in the world’s key locations. More recently, their focus in Portugal has shifted to sustainability and retrofitting buildings. Together with hello energy, they are adding value and engaging with the communities surrounding them. 

 

The challenge

Going net-zero is one of the main drivers for Savills and their clients. In order to make that transition, Savills wants to get their own reporting in order and create structures for accountability and governance. Moreover, they want to create a wider impact on society and the environment. They welcomed new expertise into their team, as Nuno Fideles,  Associate Architect, became the first accredited BREEAM and WELL professional in Portugal, together with other colleagues in the team. Part of their local strategy is to retrofit a number of assets to create a new sustainability standard for both offices and residential buildings.

 

The solution

MB4 in Lisbon, owned by Avignon Capital and housing Savills Portugal offices, serves as a flagship example of inclusive and accessible amenities that have a positive impact on the environment and employee wellbeing, such as a work café, an installation for cyclists, daycare facilities and many more features such as photovoltaic plants that powers 20% of the building. hello energy’s data services assisted with the implementation of installation 20 indoor climate sensors, screen services in the building and connecting all energy data points. 

With all these insights gathered such as visualising the building’s consumption, hello energy helps to start a dialogue with the tenants by inspiring them to take simple and fun actions to improve.

Not just for MB4, but for many more buildings in Portugal.

  • Creates awareness and stimulates tenants to reduce their own consumption
  • hello energy provides daily engaging content in different buildings and insights on different devices, including sustainability metrics, real-time weather and public transport updates
  • Shows off the beautiful features of the buildings such as the hybrid electric fleet, the photovoltaic plants, other renewables, air quality monitoring, and daycare facilities
  • Integrates with the latest technology to save on carbon footprint
  • Earns Savills points for BREEAM-in use and WELL certifications and allows for easy reporting on ESG

 

"hello energy goes beyond the technical and theoretical. We now have a daily touchpoint in our building, showing the true impact of how much energy we’re saving, in a way that’s easy to understand for our clients and tenants."

Nuno Fideles, Sustainability Consultant & Associate Architect

 

The results

Ever since covid, the demand for sustainability consultancy has doubled for Savills Portugal. Increasingly more companies have their own ESG targets set, driving this demand. Nuno says: “we even have companies/tenants choose specifically to lease our offices, because our attention to sustainable measures and wellbeing, such as air quality monitoring.” By retrofitting some of their assets, Savills manages to save about 75% of the embodied carbon compared to newly built offices.

  • A software solution that engages tenants and other stakeholders
  • More tenants choosing Savills offices because of their attractive qualities, which increases profit per square meter
  • hello energy’s software helps ESG due diligence and reporting features allow better impact metrics
  • Paving the way for more impact with a growing network of buildings with active tenant communities

 

"The demand from tenants for sustainability in buildings has increased by more than 200% since Covid. It’s no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ but a ‘must-have’. If in two years you’re building isn’t meeting any ESG criteria, you’re pretty much out of business. Sustainability pays off for all involved. We’re creating cutting edge (office) buildings together that not only save energy, attract more investors but also creates a happy workforce.”

Nuno Fideles, Sustainability Consultant & Associate Architect

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