Euro Tower, a class A office building owned by Cascade Group in Bucharest, has officially become the first LEED Zero Carbon certified building in Romania. In 2009, this same development obtained the BREEAM Very Good certification, becoming the first building in Romania to be officially confirmed as being Green according to global sustainable development methodologies.

LEED Zero Carbon, part of the LEED sustainable development certification methodology, is considered the most rigorous standard in the world for assessing and certifying buildings as being carbon neutral. It focuses on the balance of carbon emissions that were caused and may be avoided, being designed to include the main categories of carbon production operations - energy, transportation, water, and residues.

“This is the third „first” in the history of Euro Tower – starting from the first green certification ever obtained in Romania (2010), followed by the first building to reach carbon neutrality (2019 - 2021) and, now, the first LEED Zero Carbon certification in the country. We can say without a doubt that Euro Tower, often referred to as Romania’s first green building during the past decade, can now be officially considered the country’s landmark in sustainable development per se. Our vision, as a real estate developer, is to ensure all necessary aspects to maintain Euro Tower’s carbon neutrality also in the upcoming years,” said Alex van Breemen, Cascade Group.

Euro Tower is located in the Central-North part of Bucharest and has a total area of 18.000 sqm structured on 18 floors and five underground levels, plus 200 parking spaces.

In the context of an increasing need for a drastic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, LEED Zero represents an addition to the LEED certification programs and sustainable goals, the developer explained. The LEED Zero certification program focuses on four key areas (carbon, energy, water and waste). LEED Zero Carbon is primarily concerned with carbon emissions as a result of building development - recognizing a building that is operating with net-zero carbon emissions over a year.

Cascade Group, the Euro Tower developer, embarked on a comprehensive process of long-term neutralization of all CO2 emissions a few years ago as part of a long-term decarbonization strategy. BuildGreen managed the LEED Zero Carbon certification in parallel with developing and coordinating Cascade Group’s strategy for the long-term decarbonization of Euro Tower.

Bucharest’s Euro Tower reached the level of carbon neutrality in 2019, as well as in 2020, according to the assessment of the building’s degree of CO2 emissions during that period.

“Zero Carbon certificates and systems are the next step in sustainable building, as carbon neutrality and reduction of CO2 emissions are a worldwide priority. In this context, Euro Tower will remain Romania’s milestone in sustainable development,” said Răzvan Nica, Managing Director BuildGreen.

He added: “However, we’re just getting started. Carbon neutrality is a must across the globe, but the exact tools for reaching it are still under development. With buildings responsible for circa 40% of energy-related greenhouse gases, the population grows, and the space per capita increases, the relative importance of buildings to the climate also increases, together with pressure over real estate developers and investors.”

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: the company)