Version: BREEAM In-use
Client: Vesteda
Assessor: Longevity Partners
Real estate consultant: CFP Green Buildings
BREEAM national scheme operator: Dutch Green Building Council (DGBC)
About this project
Vesteda is a real estate investor with a portfolio of 27,500 assets situated in the Netherlands, focused on residential assets in the mid-rental segment. Vesteda invests funds for institutional investors such as pension funds and insurers, and their homes are mainly located in the country’s economically strong and core urban regions.
To ensure that sustainability is a key feature of their portfolio, Vesteda sought to obtain BRE’s third-party sustainability verification, BREEAM In-Use, for every single asset in their portfolio. To do this, Vesteda, Dutch Green Building Council (DGBC), CFP Green Buildings, and Longevity Partners established a project certification team.
We worked hard with our partners to certify our entire portfolio in one go and we are very pleased with the result. The BREEAM-NL certificates give us greater insight into the sustainability performance of our residential complexes, both in terms of energy use and in other areas, such as accessibility, use of materials and biodiversity.
Stephan de Bie, Sustainability Programme Manager at Vesteda
BREEAM-NL In Use guideline
Vesteda has supported BRE and DGBC in the development of the BREEAM-NL In-Use Residential V6 scheme. They felt that there was no pre-existing appropriate, independent certification method to measure the sustainability performance of its residential portfolio and compare it with other properties.
The BREEAM-NL In-use Residential guideline is a modified certification which provides a benchmark for comparison with other properties. Vesteda’s support for this new guideline is testament to its commitment to sustainability and a significant push towards furthering the sustainability of its assets.
“I want to congratulate the whole client team involved in completing this huge certification project. Ever since early 2018, the Vesteda team have been committed to their full certification goal, and it is a pleasure to see this come to fruition for their whole residential portfolio. In fact, their commitment was one of the drivers for the addition of the residential asset class into Version 6 of BREEAM In-Use originally. This is a hugely positive outcome with Vesteda showcasing their leadership in the sector. A brilliant achievement everyone, well done.”
James Fisher, Head of Strategic Partnerships at BRE
Why did Vesteda choose BREEAM?
Vesteda focuses on prioritising the satisfaction of its residents by building a sustainable portfolio and staying ahead of the industry through continuous learning.
Vesteda’s portfolio serves two purposes: providing pleasant and healthy homes for residents and delivering responsible investments with healthy returns for participants. The company has set goals to realise these ambitions and has integrated them into its business plan.
It believes that its efforts in sustainability make a direct contribution to strengthening its investment fund.
We are extremely proud that Vesteda is using BREEAM-NL to make its portfolio more sustainable. It’s quite an achievement to gain certification of such a large portfolio within the space of a year. The baseline measurement Vesteda has now carried out provides a huge amount of insight and identifies opportunities for further sustainability improvements. We are looking forward to the steps that follow on the basis of this process.
Rudy van der Helm, Development and Management manager at the Dutch Green Building Council (DGBC)
Benefits of BREEAM
By assessing their portfolio under the BREEAM-NL In-use framework, Vesteda’s efforts to enhance the sustainability of their assets were guided and validated by BREEAM’s holistic approach to third-party sustainability verification.
The BREEAM framework supports sustainable values through many credits and categories:
- BREEAM In-Use has categories focused on both reducing waste and raw materials. For example, they prevent waste from being sent to landfill, and limit the environmental impact of procured materials.
- The Energy category looks to limit the use of fossil fuels by, for example, awarding credits for prevent air leakage and increasing boiler efficiency.
- The BREEAM framework helps to foster occupant happiness by limiting the emission of pollutants to encourage clean air and providing green spaces for occupant use.
- The framework also helps to give the location an identity by attracting real estate owners and asset managers alike to build and invest in verifiably sustainable buildings which command high rental and resell value, whilst being healthier for people and the planet.
BREEAM-NL In-Use Residential was developed to measure and improve the sustainability performance of existing homes. I’m very proud of the team that delivered over 630 certificates in 2022 to map the sustainability of nearly 27,500 homes. It is extraordinary to see how Vesteda is addressing the results of the assessment to make further sustainability improvements in the future. This project shows that it is possible to certify large portfolios in an efficient way, as well as to get down to work on the sustainability front.
Roger Toussaint, Managing Director at Longevity Partners BV
About BREEAM
BREEAM is the world’s leading sustainability assessment methodology for masterplanning projects, infrastructure and buildings. It recognises and reflects the value in higher performing assets across the built environment lifecycle, from new construction, through performance in operation, to refurbishment.
BREEAM does this through third party certification of the assessment of an asset’s environmental, social and economic sustainability performance, using standards developed by BRE. This means BREEAM rated developments are more sustainable environments that enhance the well-being of the people who live and work in them, help protect natural resources and make for more attractive property investments.
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