BIG sets new standard in sustainable real estate development

Since 1 January 2020, all new buildings and general renovations of the BIG Group have been subject to the Group-wide mandatory minimum sustainable standard.

Vienna (OTS) – The BIG minimum standard goes beyond the legal requirements and ensures that all projects of BIG and its subsidiary ARE achieve the klimaaktiv SILVER standard in any case.
The sustainable minimum standard of the Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft (BIG) is a catalogue of criteria that must already be taken into account in the planning process of buildings. This makes the implementation of 43 measures of the BIG Holistic Building Program (HBP)* and the achievement of at least 750 klimaaktiv points mandatory for all new construction and general refurbishment projects for which a plan invention procedure will be carried out from 2020.
By implementing the minimum standard, CO2 emission levels will be significantly reduced, climate-damaging building materials will be avoided and the phase-out of fossil fuels will be accelerated.

„The sustainable development of real estate is rapidly gaining in importance both nationally and internationally. As a federal real estate company, we see it as our responsibility to set special standards in this area. The implementation of the sustainable minimum standard is a significant milestone on the way to improved resource and energy efficiency", says BIG Managing Director Hans-Peter Weiss.

Other points covered by the minimum sustainable standard are an overall ecological assessment of the buildings (according to OI3) and a mandatory life cycle cost analysis. The inclusion of future follow-up costs allows a long-term economic consideration of the sustainability measures.

Austria-wide photovoltaics initiative

In order to achieve the phase-out of fossil fuels and to be almost emission-free by 2025, BIG is also launching the Austria-wide photovoltaic initiative this year. PV systems will be installed on around 20 hectares of BIG and ARE rooftops by 2023. In this way, the efficient use of solar power will significantly increase the share of renewable energy.

For more information on the sustainable minimum standard and the HBP, please visit our website: https://nachhaltigkeit.big.at/node/16

*Holistic Building Program (HBP)

With the Holistic Building Program (HBP), BIG, together with e7 and Pulswerk GmbH, has developed the most comprehensive digital building configurator in Austria. It accompanies users through all phases of sustainable building projects - from planning to construction to operation - and thus becomes an individual online checklist for all relevant topics. In total, the HBP guides users through 7 thematic areas with a total of 73 criteria that cover essential aspects of holistic construction and thus serve as a clear project guide. The focus is on economic and resource-saving factors as well as ecological and socio-cultural factors. The real-time display of the project data entered in the online catalogue also contributes to the high user-friendliness of the HBP. Each entry of individual measures is immediately converted into points. The maximum total number of points that can be achieved per project is 1,000.

About the BIG

With 2,060 properties, the BIG Group is one of the largest real estate owners in Austria. The portfolio consists of around 7.1 million square metres of lettable space with an enterprise value (fair value) of around EUR 12.0 billion. It is divided into the corporate divisions of schools, universities and special real estate. Office and residential properties are bundled in the subsidiary ARE Austrian Real Estate GmbH. The ARE portfolio comprises 558 properties with around 1.7 million square metres of lettable space. While BIG focuses primarily on public institutions, ARE's offering is also intended to increasingly address non-public tenants. As a developer, the BIG Group represents an important economic factor in Austria. Economic efficiency and architectural quality go hand in hand, as is constantly demonstrated. Every project aims to meet the needs of its future users in terms of ecological, economic and socio-cultural sustainability. The BIG Group has won several awards for its architectural commitment and has received eleven building owner awards to date.

BIG in figures

(Group Report 2018/BIG Group in accordance with IFRS)

Real estate 2,060
Lettable area 7.1 million m²
Employees Ø 923
Balance sheet total EUR 12.95 billion
Turnover EUR 1,074.6 million.
Project investments*) EUR 515.8m.

*) New construction/general renovations; incl. Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, without project companies + maintenance
Link
www.big.at

Source: PM from 10.2.2020

Keywords: Stock, Climate protection, Sustainable management, News Blog Europe (without DE), News Blog Austria, Resource efficiency, Tools, Housing

Published 28 April 2018

Cologne CLOUTH-QUARTIER awarded for social neighbourhood development

The Clouth Quarter, a project of the Cologne urban development company moderne stadt GmbH, was awarded a "polis AWARD" in silver (2nd prize) in the category "Social Neighbourhood Development".

Around 100 municipalities, development companies, architects, property developers and initiatives such as building groups applied. Current projects from Germany were awarded in the categories Urban Land Recycling, Reactivated Centres, Social Neighbourhood Development and Liveable Open Space. In addition, outstanding work by students was honoured with the "polis AWARD Campus".

The top-class jury, headed by Reiner Nagel, Chairman of the Board of the Federal Foundation for Building Culture, includes 13 representatives of associations, developers, architects, real estate companies and cities. "The development of the Clouth Quarter provides a forward-looking answer to how the creation of living space can meet a high demand. The jury praises the versatility that is being created in the new quarter: private and publicly subsidised forms of housing are in harmony with social facilities, creative industries and sharing offers. The jury is appreciative of the successful integration of the neighbourhood into the already socio-culturally very colourful district of Cologne-Nippes and is convinced that the diversity of the neighbourhood has been achieved primarily through the successful cooperation of the various actors," reads the statement of the judges.

"We are delighted about the award. This confirms us on our path to develop the Clouth Quarter from a foreclosed former industrial area into a vital quarter. The award shows us that we are on the right track and spurs us on to develop further ideas in this regard," explained Andreas Röhrig, managing director of the urban development company moderne stadt GmbH, which has been developing the quarter for over five years.

The Clouth Quarter was built on the 14.5-hectare site of the former Clouth rubber works in the Nippes district. The city acquired the site in 2012 and transferred it to moderne stadt GmbH. In addition to condominiums, privately financed and publicly subsidised rental flats, discounted cooperative and factory flats as well as themed construction group projects are being built there. About 30 per cent of the units will be realised as subsidised flats. "A major focus in the overall development of the Clouth Quarter is affordable housing," says Thomas Scheitza, also managing director of moderne stadt GmbH. By the time the quarter is completed, probably at the end of 2021, 1,200 flats and 500 jobs will have been created on the former industrial site.

Social mix, diverse forms of housing, non-profit offers

The construction phase was preceded by comprehensive qualification procedures such as idea competitions for the buildings and open spaces as well as the selection of the building groups. This ensured a high level of acceptance of the neighbourhood among new residents and existing neighbours. This applies in particular to the green and open spaces, which serve to promote neighbourly togetherness. In addition, importance was attached to integrating the neighbourhood into the existing socio-cultural structures of the Cologne-Nippes district: for decades, the industrial site was only accessible to company employees. Now it has been opened up: New cycle and pedestrian paths connect existing neighbourhoods in the west with the Clouth site, Johannes Giesberts Park and the tram stop in the east. In addition, freelance artists and creative industry companies will be located in the Clouth quarter.

Furthermore, a focus was placed on the creation of social facilities. Non-profit organisations such as two day-care centres, a games workshop and a youth film school are to find a home here. The settlement of further educational institutions is planned. Innovative service providers such as two mobility hubs where, among other things, rental bicycles and car-sharing are available, complement the sustainable orientation.

The prizes were presented to the winners as well as to the runners-up in the five categories on the evening of 25 April at the "polis convention" trade fair in Düsseldorf. In addition, nominees and winning projects will be presented to the trade public at a separate trade fair stand. Last year, the trade fair with 180 exhibitors was visited by around 3,000 participants.

Keywords:
Awards, DE-News, Cologne, News Blog NRW, Quarters, Social / Culture, Contests & Prizes, Housing

Incentive to use less "grey energy" in the construction of non-residential buildings

The City of Hamburg promotes the use of wood for the new construction of non-residential buildings with a floor space of 100 m² or more.

The use of wood in the building construction of new buildings is being 800 € per tonne of wood product promoted.

In addition Insulation materials with the quality mark RAL-UZ 132 or 140 (Blue Angel) or the natureplus seal with a subsidy of 10,- €/m² component area promoted. At least 80 percent by volume of the thermally insulating building component must consist of the sustainable insulation material.

In an office building with 1,000 m² of heated floor space and solid wood exterior walls and ceilings, about 200 tonnes of wood are used. This would be eligible for funding of 160,000 €. The maximum amount of funding per building is 250,000 €*.

Link to the website of the Hamburgische Investitions- und Förderbank:
www.ifbhh.de/nichtwohngebaeude

*Data are only estimates for orientation, data without guarantee.