What is the VERDE sustainability certificate?
The VERDE sustainability certificate stands for its Spanish initials Valoración de Eficiencia de Referencia de Edificios (Building Reference Efficiency Evaluation) and it is a sustainability certificate that measures the environmental, economic and social impact of buildings. VERDE was developed by Green Building Council Spain association to foster a more sustainable architecture.
In the assessment of an office building to obtain the VERDE sustainability certificate are considered the following parameters: site selection, location and planning project, indoor space quality, energy and ambience, quality of service, natural resources and socioeconomic impact.
There are 6 levels of VERDE certification. Final evaluation is measured in green leaves. The more leaves obtained (from 0 to 5) show a better commitment towards environment.
Just as VERDE sustainability certificate is acknowledged in Europe, there are other international certificates that also confirm that a building is environmentally respectful: those are the LEED and BREEAM certificates. These international sustainability certificates also determine the degree of sustainability of a building, as well as the economic and social advantages that they present to their users.
Inmobiliaria Colonial, towards the objective of becoming a sustainable company, has in its portfolio 37 buildings with the BREEAM certificate and 18 with the LEED one. Discovery Building has been the last building in Colonial’s portfolio to receive the LEED Platinum’s sustainability certificate, the best guarantee of commitment to the environment that a building could reach. This way, the Discovery Building becomes the first office building of new construction within M-30 area to receive LEED Platinum sustainability certificate.
