Bouwinvest’s Dutch Office Fund nominated for GRESB/BREEAM Award for Responsible Investment for third time in a row

Bouwinvest’s Dutch Office Fund has been nominated for the GRESB/BREEAM Award for Responsible Investment for the third year in succession. The Responsible Investment Award honours real estate investors who have played a prominent role in making individual buildings or entire real estate investment funds more sustainable and will be presented at a ceremony between 23 and 25 March 2021.

The award is based on various criteria, such as the percentage of properties with BREEAM certification, the fund’s GRESB score as a measure of ESG performance and the investment manager’s commitment to sustainability. Bouwinvest’s Dutch Office Fund was awarded a GRESB 5-star ranking and declared a Global Sector Leader in 2020.

The Dutch Office Fund not only invests in sustainable new developments but also aims to optimise the green credentials of its existing portfolio with a view to bringing the entire portfolio in line with the Paris Climate Agreement as early as 2045. This means achieving a high degree of energy efficiency for all its assets and making them largely carbon neutral – or dependent on renewable energy sources instead of gas. Bouwinvest works with various partners to meet these goals. For example, the company has teamed up with Innax to realise data-driven ‘roadmaps’ for all its Dutch real estate funds to make them ‘Paris Proof’ by 2045. It is also collaborating with CBRE at the asset management level. 

In recent years the Dutch Office Fund has made good progress towards achieving its ambitions. The WTC Rotterdam, for example, owned since 2014, is currently in the final phase of a large-scale renovation to modernise the building and, more importantly, to improve its overall level of sustainability. As a result of our activities, the low-rise part of the property has now received the highest possible energy label (A).

Jan-Willem Kos, Senior Asset Manager at Bouwinvest, said: “Energy-efficient buildings retain their value and generate higher returns, both financially and socially, and WTC Rotterdam is a testament to this.  The low-rise part of the complex has a protected status due to its architectural design and we have connected that part of the building to a thermal energy storage system, insulated the facade and roof, installed solar panels, new window frames and LED lighting. The building had the lowest possible energy rating (G) before the renovation started in December 2015, but it has now received  A certification. Our nomination for the award is a tribute to this achievement.”