ROBINSONS Cyberscape Gamma has become the first EDGE-certified real estate investment trust (REIT) building in the Philippines, according to RL Commercial REIT (RCR).
In a statement, RCR said Cyberscape Gamma was given the EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) certification by the Philippine Green Building Initiative (PGBI), after an assessment of its audit report.
Cyberscape Gamma is a 37-storey Philippine Economic Zone Authority-registered office tower located along Topaz and Ruby Roads, within the Ortigas central business district in Pasig City.
“Our assessment confirms the auditor’s report that Robinsons Cyberscape Gamma’s resource-efficient design will result in reductions of 34% in energy, 31% in water and 69% in materials’ embodied energy compared to a local base case,” PGBI Vice-Chairman Ar. Amado de Jesus, Jr. said.
EDGE is an internationally recognized green building certification system created by the International Finance Corp. (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. It seeks to promote resource efficiency in buildings by adopting designs that help reduce materials, water, and electricity consumption.
“This is an important milestone for Robinsons Offices and especially for RCR,” Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC) Senior Vice-President and General Manager for Offices and RCR President Jericho Go said.
RLC is looking at boosting the impact of its sustainability initiatives, “while delivering value to the business by incorporating sustainable development features in all its properties to fight climate change,” Mr. Go added.
The EDGE certificate shows that Cyberscape Gamma has successfully reduced energy consumption because of its lower window-to-wall ratio, use of high-performance glass, fresh air pre-conditioning system, efficient lighting, and power factor correction.
The building also features water-efficient faucets and urinals and a rainwater harvesting system. It also uses material-efficient floor and roof slabs, window-glazing, and interior and exterior walls.
“Together with IFC, we rely on the expertise of those in the industry so that we are continuously advancing the capabilities of EDGE and increasing our standard in marketplaces around the world,” Mr. De Jesus said.
The Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) includes EDGE as a qualifying certification system for improved scoring for the GRESB Real Estate Assessment and the GRESB Developer Assessment. GRESB is the global standard for environmental, social and governance (ESG) benchmarking and is used by investors to obtain data on the ESG performance of real assets.
The International Capital Markets Association recognizes EDGE as a qualifying certification system in its green bond principles, which are a set of guidelines recommended for issuing a green bond.
The Climate Bonds Initiative includes EDGE as a qualifying certification system to achieve the Climate Bonds Standard and Certification Scheme. EDGE certification fulfills both residential and commercial requirements for the allocation of proceeds from green bonds.
“RLC continues to engage green-certified contractors and/or consultants, as well as establish guidelines on landscaping, to achieve carbon neutrality and improve resiliency,” Mr. Go said.
RLC has crafted its roadmap towards achieving a net zero carbon by 2050, in line with the global efforts to limit global warming to within 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Robinsons Offices is also planning to use clean power in all its current and future office projects, as part of its goal to shift power requirements to renewable energy sources by 2035. — CRAG
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The article was originally published in Business World.
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