news from the BRE Group
published: 26/7/2012
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Strong green symbol in uncertain times
A retail building in Athens has bucked the trend of bad news from Greece by becoming the first Greek commercial premises to be successfully BREEAM certified.
‘Our warmest congratulations to all of those involved in the development of the “Greenstore Stamata” supermarket, which was recently BREEAM assessed at the post-construction stage and achieved a “Very Good” rating,’ says Carol Atkinson, Chief Executive of BRE Global. ‘This has demonstrated how the benefits of sustainability can be gained even in difficult economic circumstances.’
The building was assessed by Athens-based BREEAM assessor company, Ecoveritas. ‘I feel a great satisfaction at having contributed to the first BREEAM certified commercial building in Greece,’ says, Pantelis Levantis of Ecoveritas. ‘In these uncertain times it has an important symbolic significance, not only for the building’s owner but for all stakeholders in Greece. With transparency and exceptional know-how, BREEAM establishes in our industry and community a holistic framework for sustainable development, operation and behaviour in relation to our built environment.’
Owned by the ΑB Vassilopoulos-Delhaize Group, the Greenstore Stamata building was assessed underthe BREEAM Europe Commercial 2009: Retailscheme. The development scored well in the Energy, Health and Wellbeing, Water and Management BREEAM categories, with a wide range of sustainability features – a small selection of which include:
Electrical vehicle recharging stations using energy provided by the building’s wide ranging renewable energy systems
Sun-pipes to enhance natural day-lighting, one of several initiatives to provide excellent internal environment conditions to retail and offices areas
On-line water metering and leak detection/prevention system, as well as rain water harvesting for use in WCs and external planting and landscaping irrigation system
Life cycle costing and building services analysis for managing the building’s long-term impact and effective building operation
Recycling of nine waste streams for staff and customers, along with a compactor for packaging waste and composting of organic waste
Pollution reduction with LED technology for external lighting to minimise night-time light pollution, noise attenuation measures and sensors for detecting refrigerant leaks in plants.
Press enquiries: SIMON GUY, +44(0)1923 664305, guys@bre.co.uk. Photos of the building can be provided. For further information on BREEAM, go to www.breeam.org.
Notes for Editors
BREEAM
BREEAM is an internationally recognised measure of a building’s sustainability. Some 245,000 buildings have been BREEAM certified and 950,000 registered for certification – many in the UK with smaller but increasing numbers in more than 50 other countries.
Highly flexible, the BREEAM standard can be applied to a very wide range of building types and locations, with versions for new buildings, existing buildings, refurbishment projects and large developments. They are independently assessed – by licensed assessors – for their performance in energy and water use, health and well-being, pollution, transport, materials, waste, ecology and management.
BREEAM is based on the latest scientific knowledge and is regularly updated in line with new developments, evolving legislation and feedback from users. The current standard was launched by BRE Global in 2011 and the next update is due in 2013.
BRE Global
BRE Global Ltd (incorporating LPCB & BREEAM) is an independent, third-party approvals body offering certification of fire, security and sustainability products and services to an international market.
BRE Global’s mission is to ‘Protect People, Property and the Planet’. It is part of the BRE Group under the BRE Trust, a registered research and education charity.
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