by Brianna Crandall — July 4, 2014—Unibail-Rodamco, one of Europe’s leading listed commercial property companies, was presented with a BREEAM In-Use International certificate for the Toison d’Or shopping center in the French city of Dijon, at an award ceremony on June 26, from the BREEAM sustainability program.
Toison d’Or gained the coveted Excellent rating for the building asset (Part 1 of the scheme) and an exemplary Outstanding rating for building management (Part 2), achieving the highest-ever score awarded under BREEAM In-Use Part 2.
The BREEAM assessment followed a major project to refurbish and extend Toison d’Or to provide 72,000 m for shops, restaurants and services. The project incorporated green leases for tenants, strong cooperation with the city on travel plans, a new tramway connection to the main entrance, optimized energy reduction, and a lighting approach to maximize natural lighting and deliver an attractive ambiance for staff and visitors.
Toison d’Or is one of several of Unibail-Rodamco’s shopping centers that are being assessed under BREEAM In-Use International as part of the company’s sustainability policy. This policy sets a target of obtaining—by 2016—BREEAM In-Use certification for at least 80 percent of the company’s managed retail portfolio, with a minimum Very Good rating for building management.
“BREEAM In-Use matches with the Group’s culture and management to improve the performance of our standings assets on a daily basis,” says Unibail-Rodamco’s Christophe Garot. “The BREEAM approach allows us to integrate and stimulate our tenants and maintenance suppliers to be sure that each technical device—for lighting, ventilation, heating and cooling etc.—will be properly maintained and operated 365 days per year. Also, it helps us to demonstrate to investors that sustainability is embedded in the Group’s processes and in all business units.”
The BREEAM In-Use assessment at Toison d’Or was conducted by Bopro, a licensed assessor company based in Belgium. “During each BREEAM In-Use audit, Unibail-Rodamco’s staff shows its enthusiasm to learn about sustainability and to improve their processes in order to have a better result after each audited asset,” says Bopro Director Stefaan Martel. “The track record of the certified assets is the best proof that this attitude pays off. Unibail-Rodamco sets an inspiring example in the commercial real estate sector and has a positive impact, not only on the awareness of its clients and suppliers, but also on the millions of shoppers who visit the shopping centers regularly.”
BREEAM is an internationally recognized measure of sustainability for buildings and communities. More than 250,000 buildings have been certified around the world, and over a million are registered for certification. BREEAM helps to drive the sustainable performance and value of a property asset and developments as a whole, and the program is developed across Europe through a family of National Scheme Operators including BREEAM UK, NL, DE, ES, SE and NOR.
BREEAM In-Use is a system to help building managers, investors, owners and occupiers reduce the running costs and improve the environmental performance of existing non-domestic buildings. BREEAM In-Use International is reportedly the most widely used assessment scheme for existing buildings in Europe. There are three assessment options: Part 1—Asset performance, Part 2—Building management, and Part 3—Occupier management.
