Bucharest: U•Center 2 achieved LEED v4 Platinum certification

Forte Partners announces LEED v4 Platinum certification for U•Center 2. The certification process is part of the sustainability cornerstone of U•Center project and was coordinated by BuildGreen.

"U•Center 2's LEED v4 certification attests to the building's sustainability and is also a validation of Forte Partners' approach to office project development, focused from concept and design through construction and delivery on energy efficiency and the health and well-being of our tenants' employees", said Stephen Burke, Director of Construction at Forte Partners. "This approach is, in fact, the solid foundation on which we have built our ESG policies. Carbon reduction, smart water use and reuse, waste management, green transportation, biodiversity, health and wellness are the pillars of our sustainability vision," Stephen Burke added.

LEED v4 Platinum certification with a score of 88 was awarded to the second phase of the U•Center project following evaluation against eight criteria, namely location and transportation, project sustainability, water efficiency, energy and climate efficiency, materials and resources used, indoor environmental quality, innovation and regional priority.

"We proudly embrace and support developers that focus on stringent factors related to sustainability, beyond the clasical certification criteria. Forte Partners represents such an example, as sustainability has been part of their business strategy since Day 1. The LEED Platinum certification of U•Center 2 is pure proof and we are happy to be part of such complex achievements. The Platinum level requires a set of strict sustainable actions, equipment and technology, which imply significantly higher efforts to reach today’s climate goals,” stated Răzvan Nica, BuildGreen founder and Managing Director.

In line with Forte Partners’ ESG policies and related objectives, the company is ensuring that the buildings it develops are constantly improving in their energy efficiency and carbon footprint. This procedure, aside the certification processes mentioned above, has led to U•Center 2 being a carbon neutral building in operation (S&C), incorporating, among the building’s many improvements, the sourcing of electrical energy from 100% renewable sources, reusing rainwater, weather forecasting for higher performance cooling.

Forte Partners announced in September 2023 the completion of U•Center 2, with a GLA of 35,000 square meters and that the project is ready to welcome its tenants. Currently, lease agreements have been signed for almost 30,000 square metres of space in U•Center 2. Companies that have offices in the building include Glovo, Brinel, Eurowag.

The retail spaces on the ground floor of U•Center 2 are fully leased. Auchan opened a large supermarket in October 2023 in a 2,600 sqm space. The lease transaction recently received the CIJ award in the "Best Retail Lease of the Year" category at the CIJ Awards Romania 2023. The retail area in U•Center 2 was completed in November by Manufaktura The Coffee Shop restaurant chain, which will open its eighth location, including an outdoor terrace, near the Tineretului Park.