Some of Europe's top real estate organizations have come together to analyze and benchmark the sustainability performance of their commercial buildings. Results of this analysis will be unveiled for the first time at Expo Real in October in the International Sustainability Alliance's (ISA) inaugural benchmarking report.
ISA is the global network of corporate occupiers, real estate investors, developers and owners. Its aim is to bring together a worldwide membership of leading commercial organizations dedicated to achieving higher sustainability in the built environment.
ISA is now gathering data on performance of members' commercial premises across Europe. This will be compiled into the report based on 9 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), used to measure a member organization's building assets in terms of energy and water consumption and waste. At Expo Real, ISA will be publishing national and sectoral benchmarks which will become the yardstick by which the real estate sector can measure and improve its assets.
John Pike, Secretary General of ISA, said: "The European real estate sector has a huge amount to gain from understanding the performance of its buildings. Measurement means better management which can lead to significant cost savings in operating property assets. Better performing buildings are becoming more attractive to both corporate occupiers and investors who increasingly require environmentally sound real estate to meet the demands of legislation, their shareholders and customers. Whilst the focus of our study at the moment is in Europe, it will be extended on a worldwide basis, particularly through the participation of members such as Standard Chartered who have major interests in the Asia Pacific region."
Jane Woodlock, Development Manager for ISA said: "Collecting data for real estate is not always straightforward, particularly for complex buildings such as shopping centers. However the potential benefits in the medium to long term are immense. ISA, for example, already holds information on over 1500 premises in 75 countries throughout the EMEA and Asia Pacific regions, including owner and occupier data for 130 shopping centres and 338 retail parks across Europe. The database will provide individual members with performance KPIs with which they will be able to compare the environmental performance of their own portfolios against those of their peers on a like-for-like basis. This could help inform future investment and management strategies as well as providing companies with audited information for their annual reports."
For more information on ISA, go to www.internationalsustainabilityalliance.org. You can register an interest in obtaining a free copy of a summary of the report by e-mailing info@internationalsustainabilityalliance.org.
Source: BRE Global
