Investor focus on sustainability has grown sharply over the last 12 months, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s survey of top managing directors and senior fund managers. In 2012, 96 percent of respondents had implemented a sustainability policy, compared to 40 percent in 2011. 90 percent of investors and fund managers evaluate new acquisitions in terms of sustainability. “Sustainability is redefining the balance in real estate investment decision-making and, as is often the case, the winners will be those that position themselves best to anticipate and embrace this change.
For majority of occupiers sustainability means simply savings on electricity consumption. With new developments you can just rely on the developer´s promises and the true costs can be higher, especially when the building is not managed properly. Therefore occupiers consider the “green” pre-certification as at least some guarantee of the future low energy consumption of the building,” says Radka Novak, head of Office Agency at Cushman & Wakefield.
