America House, the Iconic Class A office building, located in the heart of Bucharest CBD, is the first office building in Bucharest to obtain an OUTSTANDING rating according to BREEAM In-Use certification methodology, after a major investment of 10 million euros.
Amongst the different rating categories, Health and Wellbeing was the category which obtained the maximum rating score: 100%.
“The BREEAM Outstanding in Use certificate recognizes the sustainability and care for the environment of us, those who own the office building and those who manage it, as well as our tenants. America House supports a healthy lifestyle and adopts the best practices in operating and managing real estate assets. Obtaining the BREEAM in use Outstanding certification is the first target achieved in this regard and we are in the process of achieving further goals to support America House ESG strategy”, commented David Hay, founder, and CEO of ADD Value Management SRL.
The certification process was managed by BuildGreen, the leading consultant in the design, development, and certification of sustainable buildings in Central and Eastern Europe.
“In our 13 years of activity, we proudly embarked on certification projects that always targeted higher and strict sustainability standards, thus marking numerous premieres and raising the certification levels to some of the highest in Central and Eastern Europe. We are happy to start 2023 with a new achievement, with America House, one of Romania’s most representative office buildings, becoming the first office building in Bucharest to obtain the Outstanding rating according to the BREEAM In-Use certification scheme. The Outstanding level requires a set of strict sustainable actions and ecological technologies, which imply significantly higher efforts for existing buildings” – states Răzvan Nica, Managing Director BuildGreen.
Health and Well-being was the category which obtained the maximum rating score: 100%
This category encourages the provision of healthy, safe, comfortable, and accessible environments, both internally and externally, for all users, and these are some of the most important assets a building can ensure to its tenants.
Good levels of daylight and the opportunity for relaxation afforded by a change of scene and a change from a constant focus at workstations are essential in developing a healthy activity.
The lighting levels in the building are optimal and in accordance with the best practices ensuring appropriate lighting to enable asset users to perform visual tasks efficiently and accurately.
An inclusive design helps people with disabilities to work easily and to use the workspace in an efficient manner. The access to the building, the horizontal and vertical circulation, the sanitary accommodation, and the use of the building’s facilities were also part of the checklist that BuildGreen rigorously evaluated.
The America House building benefits from 18 charging stations for electric cars, an expansion, and a refurbished World Class gym on the first floor, with a separate dedicate entrance, three dedicated bicycle parking rooms with racks for 60 bicycles, lockers, dedicated showers, and toilets.
The implemented Building Management system allows the optimal functioning of the comfort systems via trend monitoring and CO2 monitoring, giving therefore the project an overall small energy consumption in accordance with a Class A Office Building.
About BuildGreen:
BuildGreen is the leading consultant in the design, development and certification of sustainable buildings in Central and Eastern Europe. Founded in 2010, it was the first company in Romania to offer advisory services for green building and certification. The company stands out with the largest number of properties certified according to the LEED, BREEAM, WELL and EDGE schemes – over 350 real estate developments in 18 EMEA countries, from office buildings, shopping centres, logistics parks or industrial factories, to residential and public properties – totalling over 8 million m2 and a €10 billion investment.
Răzvan Nica, Managing Director and founder of BuildGreen was appointed in 2019 by BRE as the first BREEAM International Quality Auditor outside the UK, a position from which he supervises BREEAM certification processes across the entire Globe.
Also in 2019, BuildGreen opened its first headquarter in Prague, after joining forces with green gain, one of the leading BREEAM consultants in the Czech Republic, thus becoming one of the largest and most experienced certification consultants in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).
About America House:
America House is a landmark Class A office building, located in the heart of Bucharest CBD, on Victoriei Square. America House has 28,806 sqm of class A office and prime retail spaces spread over 8 above-ground floors and 368 parking places located in 3 underground parking levels.
America House tenants are from among prestigious multinational corporations, which here have established their headquarters in Romania, such as MasterCard, Cisco, Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, McDonald’s, OLX, and Funcom. Also, in the building, there is the Embassy of Japan and the company Fortim Trust Advisory, a member of the BNP Paribas Real Estate Alliance, which provides Property Management services.
