Romania: U•Center 2 achieves WELL Health-Safety Rating certification
Forte Partners announces WELL Health-Safety Rating certification for U•Center 2, the office building the developer put into operation in September 2023. The certification process was coordinated by the ESG Strategic Advisory department of Colliers Romania.
"A healthy working environment is one of the main requirements of people working in office buildings, and tenant companies want to provide safety to their employees, especially nowadays when there is a significant increase in the percentage of people choosing to work in the office more than from home”, said Daniela Marinescu, Asset Manager at Forte Partners. "Throughout the development process of our office projects, we put the well-being of our tenants' employees first, and U•Center 2's WELL certification attests to the fact that we prioritize the health and safety of everyone who uses the spaces we build,” Daniela Marinescu added.
The WELL Health-Safety certification, comprised of a subset of strategies from the WELL Building Standard (WELL Standard), addresses safety and health issues in buildings primarily through operating and management policies and has proven applications for developers who want to proactively plan for the future and support the long-term health and safety needs of building employees.
"The achievement of WELL Health-Safety Rating for U•Center 2 underscores Forte Partners' commitment to prioritizing the health and safety of building occupants" explains Tamara Dogariu, Senior Sustainability Consultant at Colliers Romania. "This certification aligns with health and safety best practices in office buildings. We are proud to have contributed to this achievement and remain committed to supporting Forte Partners in driving positive change in the real estate industry"” added Tamara Dogariu.
Colliers' ESG Strategic Advisory team, made up of LEED, BREEAM, WELL, EDGE, Fitwel and Access4You accredited professionals, developed its portfolio of services dedicated to environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments, also providing consultancy on carbon footprint calculations, Net Zero Carbon decarbonization projects, ESG strategy definition in the built environment, assessments, and consultancy on the application of the EU Taxonomy and energy audits. In the 13 years of activity in this business sector, Colliers' ESG strategic consultancy team has provided consultancy for certification according to international standards in the area of sustainability for more than 170 projects in Romania, totaling over 5 million square meters.
The WELL Health-Safety certification was achieved by U•Center 2 following assessment against 20 criteria covering five areas: Cleaning and Sanitation Procedures, Emergency Preparedness Programmes, Health Service Resources, Air and Water Quality Management, Stakeholder Engagement and Communication. In addition to the WELL Health-Safety certification, Forte Partners is actively pursuing Platinum-level WELL Core certification for U•Center 2, mirroring the achievement of the first phase of the project. Currently, the process is at an advanced stage.
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 process mentioned above, has led to U•Center 2 being a carbon neutral building in operation (Shell & Core), considering the sourcing of electrical energy from 100% renewable sources, purchasing carbon offsets for its long term gas consumption as well as being a highly performant energy building. The building incorporates many other improvements including reusing rainwater for irrigation, weather forecasting for higher performance cooling, automated / daylight dimming lighting control and other BMS modules tailor made to save energy. This is besides the investments made in biophilic elements throughout the office that has resulted in a more welcoming and healthier environment.
