RL Commercial REIT (RCR) recently became the first office real estate investment trust (REIT) company to obtain the EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) Champion status.
The REIT company of Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC) was recognized as an EDGE Champion for sustainability during the EDGE Champions Summit Asia 2023 in Singapore on June 6.
“RL Commercial REIT’s EDGE Champion status underlines RLC and the Gokongwei Group’s commitment to sustainability. Increasingly, property investors are paying attention to real estate assets that operate efficiently to maximize shareholder value, while minimizing the impact to the environment,” Jean-Marc Arbogast, International Finance Corp. (IFC) Philippines country manager, said in a statement.
“IFC remains committed in working with industry leaders such as RL Commercial REIT in expanding its green building portfolio, which will be crucial in helping the Philippines achieve its climate goals.”
EDGE is a building certification system created by the IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, for emerging markets. It seeks to promote resource efficiency in buildings by adopting designs that help reduce materials, water, and electricity consumption.
Robinsons Offices was recognized as an EDGE Champion since its portfolio now includes 213,158 square meters of EDGE-certified building space.
It manages five properties, namely Robinsons Cyberscape Alpha, Robinsons Cyber Omega, Robinsons Cyberscape Beta, Robinsons Cyberscape Gamma, and Robinsons Cybergate Galleria Cebu. These properties have achieved energy savings of 12,942.13 megawatts, and water savings of 181,977.98 cubic meters.
“Robinsons Offices, in keeping with one of our core values in the Gokongwei Group, promotes the value of stewardship. When we care for our environment through the wise use of resources, we are able to bestow upon future generations a brighter and better tomorrow,” said Jericho P. Go, who is concurrently senior vice-president of RLC, general manager of Robinsons Offices, and president and CEO of RCR.
“Our hope and aspiration is that we are able to create awareness in the need to practice sustainable activities that reduce water and electric consumption, among others.”
In line with RLC’s goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, Robinsons Offices aims to certify more of its existing portfolio. Green buildings currently make up 47% of the company’s portfolio.
Robinsons Offices also has several LEED-certified buildings in its lineup: Tera Tower, the Exxa–Zeta Towers, and Giga Tower, all within the RLC-developed Bridgetowne Destination Estate.
“Our goal in promoting awareness about sustainability is to encourage others to follow and to be champions of the environment as well. The more people and companies talk and practice sustainability the greater the gains will be in saving our planet,” Mr. Go said.
COMET SERVICE
Meanwhile, Robinsons Offices recently teamed up with Global Electric Transport (GET) to introduce an electric transport service between Bridgetowne and Robinsons Galleria.
The City Optimized Managed Electric Transport (COMET) shuttle service, powered by GET, offers an eco-friendly way to travel between Giga Tower in Bridgetowne estate and the carpark annex terminal in Robinsons Galleria.
The COMET shuttle service currently operates from Monday to Saturday, and is available from 6-10 a.m. and 4-8 p.m.
“This route can easily expand to stops at Robinsons Offices’ premier office building, GBF Center 1, and the upcoming Opus Mall,” Robinsons Offices said in a separate statement.
Commuters can access the service by downloading the GETPASS mobile app on their smartphones. By joining the Robinsons Riders Club group, each rider will be given a personalized QR code, which can be used to get on and off the COMET bus.
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The article was originally published in Business World.
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