The highest-level certificate for environmentally sustainable development goes to Viru Keskus
In November 2019, Viru Keskus was awarded the only LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) O&M (LEED for Existing Buildings: operations and maintenance) Platinum Certificate for sustainable and environmentally friendly operation of a building in Estonia. Platinum is the highest level of this prestigious certificate.
“The process of greening a building constructed 15 years ago is complicated, laborious and expensive, and it requires consistent and systemic efforts. We are content that in the last few years we have been able to make further improvements to the results and achieve the highest level of the LEED O&M certificate,” commented Gertti Kogermann, the Manager of Viru Keskus. “The achieved level serves as a role model and it is a high level recognition, because only 669 LEED O&M Platinum certificates have been awarded in the whole world and one of these belongs to us now,” Kogermann added.
“LEED O&M Platinum is a recognition for Viru Keskus as the operator and administrator of the property, but it is also an important aspect for our lease partners as a confirmation of more environmentally aware and environmentally sustainable business in addition to the excellent location and highest visitor numbers of Viru Keskus,” he added.
In the Baltic countries, the highest-level recognition to the operation of an existing building has been awarded only to Viru Keskus in Estonia and an office building in Lithuania.
For the first time, Viru Keskus started to apply for the LEED O&M certificate in 2013 and then underwent a 2-year thorough assessment by USGBC (United States Green Building Council). The assessment categories considered during the certification process are the sustainability of the building’s construction and its location, efficiency of water and energy use (heating and cooling the building and power consumption), use of materials and resources, quality of the indoor environment, and the satisfaction of the people working there. These general categories are subdivided into detailed assessment criteria. As a result of thorough analysis, Viru Keskus was awarded the LEED O&M silver certificate in 2015. The certificate renewal process assessed progress in environmental awareness, sustainability and energy consumption, and led to awarding certificate renewal, which resulted in awarding Viru Keskus the highest level LEED O&M Platinum certificate for the operation and maintenance of the existing building.
Viru Keskus is a shopping and entertainment centre with the greatest visitor numbers in Estonia. The fashion centre located in the centre of Tallinn is a highly valued meeting place and provider of high quality cultural and entertainment experiences. Viru Keskus contains over a hundred shops and services, the largest bookstore in Estonia that has been included among the four best bookshops in the world, the largest area of beauty products in the Baltic countries, cafés and restaurants, a sports club, and a parking house with the best rates in the city centre. Viru Keskus has been awarded the only LEED O&M Platinum Certificate for a sustainably operated and managed building in Estonia and its marketing and communication activities have won nearly 40 awards.
Additional information: www.virukeskus.com