Adventum Group achieved BREEAM-In-Use V6 Excellent rating for Hermes Business Campus

The Hermes Business Campus office project, part of the Hungarian real estate investment fund Adventum Group’s portfolio, has achieved the Excellent rating in accordance with BREEAM In-Use standard for green buildings certification.

A modern three-building office campus developed by Atenor, Hermes Business Campus was already awarded the BREEAM New Construction 2013 “Excellent” rating throughout 2016-2018, and Adventum Group, which acquired the project in 2021, decided to support and add sustainable value to the development. The BREEAM-In-Use certification process was conducted over a period of 11 months and was coordinated by the ESG Strategic Advisory department of Colliers Romania.

The complex consists of three office buildings with a leasable area of 75,000 square meters and includes office floors and retail ground floor amenities, four underground parking levels including electric car charging stations, motorbike and bicycle parking. With excellent public transport connectivity and through its internal infrastructure, Hermes Business Campus enables solutions that support a reduction in car journeys and, therefore, congestion and CO₂ emissions over the life of the asset.

All three buildings provide healthy, safe and comfortable environments, both internally and externally for the users through access to good levels of daylight, features that control glare from sunlight and controls allowing occupants to optimize their comfort levels. Through extensive views out and relaxation areas, the asset allows users the opportunity for relaxation afforded by a change of scene and a change from a constant focus at workstations. Also, the project offers ample accessibility through features designed for maximized inclusivity.

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The project introduced sustainable water use practices through efficient water fixtures, greywater harvesting systems and water leak prevention systems. Hermes Business Campus also encourages the prudent and responsible use of resources including materials and waste providing individual waste management with a focus on recycling endeavors and dedicated spaces for construction materials storage and waste management. It also developed long-term strategies to protect and enhance the environmental value of the project through the extensive internal and external green areas and green walls, along with practices that prevent and control both airborne and waterborne pollution associated with the asset’s location and use.

Hermes Business Campus encourages sustainable management practices, ensuring that both technical and non-technical building operators and users have appropriate guidance on how they can help maximize sustainable performance.

Following the certification process that lasted 11 months, Hermes Business Campus obtained certification according to the BREEAM In-Use International Commercial V6 standard with a score of 76.2% for the first part, evaluating the asset performance, and 73% for the management performance part.

“The BREEAM In-Use Excellent rating consolidates the efforts made by Hermes Business Campus to provide the best working environment for its occupants. The asset has surpassed the typical class A office building through inherent energy efficiency, sustainable water use, users’ health, wellbeing and safety consideration as well as features to protect and enhance its ecological value. Sustainability is now important when selecting a property and Hermes Business Campus has proven its commitment to achieve and surpass the best management practices in relevant areas for an office building”, explains Roxana Isopescu, Senior Sustainability Consultant | ESG Strategic Advisory at Colliers.

BREEAM is the world’s leading sustainability assessment methodology for master planning projects, infrastructure, and buildings. It recognizes and reflects the value in higher performing assets across the built environment lifecycle, from new construction, through performance in operation, to refurbishment. BREEAM does this through third party certification of the assessment of an asset’s environmental, social and economic sustainability performance, using standards developed by BRE. BREEAM certification is a guarantee that a building respects the principles of sustainability, but also a benefit to building owners and occupants in terms of investment value, productivity, comfort and well-being.

Adventum Group, a real estate investment manager focused on the Central and Eastern Europe region, with assets under management in excess of €1 billion, entered the Romanian market in 2021 through the acquisition of the Hermes Business Campus office project in Pipera from Belgian developer Atenor.

“We acquire standing assets and the focus point of our strategy, which is to make these more energy efficient consequently reducing CO2 emissions for the lifetime, is in stark contrast with new developments that usually focus only on the end product and it’s energy efficiency even though the construction process usually contributes to more than 40% of the lifetime CO2 emissions of the property. Subsequently we believe our strategy will be more and more sought after as investors and tenants realize that upgrading the efficiency is a considerably more ESG conscious strategy than tearing down old properties and building new ones. Moreover, in line with our ESG strategy we are planning to transform all our assets into sustainable, energy efficient properties with smart investments. Achieving an Excellent rating with HBC this year is the proof of our dedication and efforts, and also an important milestone in accomplishing our goals”, added Marcell Mihályfi, Head of Office Asset Management and Partner at Adventum.

Colliers’ ESG Strategic Advisory team, made up of LEED, BREEAM, WELL, EDGE and Access4You accredited professionals, developed its portfolio of services dedicated to environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments, also providing consultancy on carbon footprint calculations, Net Zero Carbon decarbonization projects, ESG strategy definition in the built environment, assessments and consultancy on the application of the EU Taxonomy and energy audits. In the 12 years of activity in this business sector, Colliers’ ESG strategic consultancy team has provided consultancy for certification according to international standards in sustainability for more than 170 projects in Romania, totaling over 5 million square meters.