Green goals for real estate

Green building management is essential not only to comply with future decarbonization regulations, but is also crucial to secure the future profitability of building portfolios. To be faster than their competitors, more and more companies are employing stricter, self-defined sustainability goals.

The problem: Multiple standards

Green Building Rating Systems aim to provide a framework for understanding which aspects of a building need improvement, and which investments are most likely to lead to future financial gains for portfolio managers and real estate owners alike.

But with many different rating systems that each focus on different categories, industry professionals have come to the realization that these standards are not enough.

Green goals in real estate

The dissatisfaction of many real estate companies and the lack of clarity in evaluation systems is reflected in a stricter handling of green objectives. The proportion of companies that report having stricter sustainability goals for their organization is currently 60%.

But only half of these companies are adhering to their self-defined green goals, studies show.

A growing number of companies (26%) are also making strides toward Zero Net Energy (ZNE) goals by creating policies that support these decisions. In combination with legislation such as the EU target of climate neutrality by 2050 and higher investments to make buildings greener, zero net energy buildings are realistic goals for the future.

Sustainability is data-driven

Sustainability goals – even zero net energy goals – are within reach. Combining green standards with future profits, however, is still real estate’s biggest challenge. Future-proofing portfolios through strategic investment is only possible through digitization.

Every bit of data ‘trapped in the physics’ of a building needs to be analyzed to the fullest extent. This is best accomplished with a clever deployment of data gathering, big data analysis and integration into a single data platform.

Green buildings are digital

Just recently we held a webinar about “Sustainability and Digitization.” The speakers, Jens Müller, CEO of BuildingMinds, and Roger Baumann, COO of Zurich Insurance Company, gave around 80 industry professionals in-depth insights on the topic.