Vastint, an international real estate organisation with 35 years of experience, has published its Sustainability Report for 2024. Its development activities include land acquisition, master planning, design, construction, leasing and sales.
“Whenever feasible, we want net-zero carbon emissions in our buildings’ operational phase by 2030. Our buildings must either generate all needed electricity on-site from renewables or import it. All buildings have a roadmap for reaching net-zero operational carbon by 2030, including an overview of what has been done in the last years. Measures should be integrated with upcoming maintenance and renovation plans. A net-zero-carbon building does not emit any CO2 during the operational phase, for instance, by producing electricity on-site. If renewable energy from offsite is imported to meet the balance, it can also be called net-zero operational carbon. The challenge for our buildings is to find solutions for the usage of non-renewable sources for heating, such as natural gas and district heating,” the company says in the report.
Over 900 solar panels at Business Garden Riga
No fewer than 944 solar panels have been installed on the roof of the multi-storey parking facility at Business Garden Riga. These solar panels generate 405.9 KWp installed peak power, for a yearly estimated production of 372 MWh. This is 50% of the energy required by the two already constructed office buildings throughout the entire year. The energy production provides the tenants at Business Garden with lower operational costs and considerably reduced carbon emissions. It lowers the common utility charges per month – electricity, heating, and water – in Business Garden Riga significantly. An online portal, providing tenants with real-time access to their energy consumption data, is also being introduced.
Highest LEED rating in Poland for B10
Office building B10 in Wroclaw has been awarded the LEED v4 Platinum certification, becoming the third building in Poland to receive this distinction. LEED v4 is the latest LEED certification scheme, which provides more challenges to receive the highest Platinum score. With a score of 89 points, B10 currently holds the highest LEED rating in the country under the LEED Building Design and Construction v4 scheme. The building has high energy performance and low water consumption. Pollution prevention was taken into account during construction. Furthermore, it is easily accessible by public transport. Building B10 offers over 14,000 m² of modern office space. Its unique H-shaped modular design and concrete façade give it a distinctive appearance. The building also features a two-story garage with 340 parking spaces and facilities for cyclists, enhancing its functionality. B10 is an integral part of the Business Garden Wroclaw office complex, seamlessly integrating with the surrounding infrastructure and offering additional amenities for tenants.
Renewable energy in almost all buildings
Throughout the Vastint markets, Property Managers are working with reviewing the performance of existing buildings and recently completed projects in the portfolio. Working actively with measuring and improving the use of different media, utilities and services is positive for the economic competitiveness of a building and it reduces the environmental footprint of its use.
“Vastint will purchase electricity from renewable sources (i.e., electricity with a so-called green certificate) where there is such a possibility on the market and the potential costs are not unreasonable. We believe that this is a step in the right direction. However, we acknowledge that it should not be considered to be sufficient and we will continue working with improving the overall energy efficiency of our portfolio.”
As per 1 January 2024, contracts for the supply of electricity with a green certificate have been concluded on the following markets: Belgium, The Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, UK and Romania.
