Moldova Center, the class A office building developed by Gheorghe Iaciu in Iași, Romania, recently obtained the BREEAM Very Good sustainability certificate, thus becoming not only the first building to be accredited under the BREEAM regulations but also the building with the highest sustainability ranking in the city. BuildGreen, the leading consultant in the field of sustainable building design, development and certification in Romania, managed the certification process.
Moldova Center received the Very Good ranking under the BREEAM regulations for new constructions and major refurbishments. The assessment and certification process lasted almost two years and was managed by BuildGreen. The consultant provided BREEAM consultancy and assessment services, sustainable design and procurement support including BREEAM strategy definition, thermal and energy modelling, travel planning and ecology services.
A former commercial shopping center, Moldova Center changed its destination together with its change of ownership: in 2014, the project was bought by Gheorghe Iaciu, one of the most prolific real estate developers in Romania, who immediately initiated a major refurbishment and renovation process ended in August 2015. The works focused on the repartitioning of the space in order to efficiently and comfortably accommodate a total leasable area of 14,500 sq.m. In addition, significant attention was given to improving the technical specifications and green features of the building. Moldova Center is now recognized as one of the most representative class A office projects outside Bucharest and a market standard for sustainable building, being awarded the ESSA Leading Green Building of the Year distinction at the 2015 CIJ Awards Gala, one of the most important real estate awards ceremonies in Romania.
“We are proud to have contributed to the sustainable certification of Moldova Center and, moreover, we are very honoured to have been chosen by the development team as their preferred and trusted advisor during the refurbishment works. Moldova Center sets a positive example to the local market and we were particularly impressed by the owner’s high level of commitment towards including sustainable solutions in all aspects of the refurbishment process, making sustainability the scope and not the means”, states Răzvan Nica, Managing Director BuildGreen.
As per the renovation and sustainable certification works, Moldova Center benefits from class-A finishes and above-market technical specifications. Efficiency and low energy consumption ranked high on the project’s list of priorities, so the new premises benefit from LED lighting systems, BMS, modern air conditioning and ventilation, as well as 360° natural lighting on all floors.
“Moldova Center addresses tenant companies who are looking for an ultra-central, efficient and highly modern office space. For this reason, our main focus was to include the best-possible technical specifications from the very beginning, starting with the design phase. During the refurbishment works, we further improved the project, as the entire team involved in the process was permanently looking into the wants and needs of the building’s future occupiers. We went above the bar that we initially had in mind and we are extremely satisfied with the results”, states Gheorghe Iaciu, owner of Moldova Center.
Moldova Center has a total leasable area of 14,500 sq.m. comprised on 7 levels (GF+6), including 11,600 sq.m. of office space offering generous floor areas of up to 2,350 sq.m. It also hosts a generous retail area on the ground floor and first level, providing its occupiers with on-site services and facilities, such as restaurants, supermarkets, banking services and a generous shopping area. In addition, the building offers 230 automobile parking spaces and 80 parking lots for bicycles and motorcycles.
The project is located on 1 Palat Street, in the most prestigious district in Iași, being characterized by excellent accessibility, close connections to the city’s key attractions, as well as ultra-central position and amazing views over the city.
