Joanne Oakley
SPAIN has entered the top ten countries worldwide for the most sustainable buildings.
This is the result of a change in mentality of the importance of energy efficiency and sustainability in the real estate industry.
Apparently, 28% of CO2 emissions come from buildings, so action to reduce this is essential to comply with environmental requirements.
“Europe is leading the battle for sustainability,” says Javier Torralba, director of Breeam, a sustainable certification platform in Spain, who points out that Spain is sixth in the world rankings.
This method of evaluation and certification of sustainability did not land in Spain until 2010.
Breeam certification initially focused on housing and didn’t really kick off until 2014 but since then, the increase in certification has grown exponentially across different types of real estate.
Torralba added that, ‘sustainability is no longer an option, but an obligation.’
These sustainable developments are good for both tenants and and the property as the energy saving in a Breeam-certified property is between 30% and 70% and the reduction of water expenditure is approximately 40%.The evolution towards this greener industry can be seen through the growth of the certification platforms that rate the impact of buildings on the ecosystem such as Leed and Well.
