CBRE Group announced today five recipient institutions in its Real Green Research Challenge (RGRC). Launched in September 2012, the RGRC is CBRE’s $1 million commitment to fund leading-edge sustainability research and innovation in commercial real estate.
CBRE has awarded RGRC funding and organizational support to sustainability projects developed by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Stanford University, EURO Institute of Real Estate Management, Cleveland State University and Central Michigan University, and Maastricht University.
“Growing market awareness of commercial buildings’ environmental impact is inspiring innovation in sustainability research,” said Bob Sulentic, CBRE’s President and CEO. “The Real Green Research Challenge advances this research by providing financial resources as well as access to CBRE’s market-leading global market data and technical expertise to help address some of the most challenging sustainability issues facing commercial real estate owners, investors and occupiers.”
After an evaluation of more than 100 submissions by an independent judging panel, CBRE has chosen five projects to receive RGRC financial awards:
- a rating system for comparative tenant energy use that provides a quantitative foundation for identifying and promoting energy efficient practices (Natural Resources Defense Council’s Center for Market Innovation);
- a detailed empirical evaluation of EPA ENERGY STAR® energy management strategies allowing facilities and property managers to prioritize energy efficiency projects (Stanford University, Center for Integrated Facility Engineering);
- a comprehensive economic analysis of the value implications of green building practices on large institutional real estate portfolios (EURO Institute of Real Estate Management);
- a new industry-wide, regionally sensitive, green building scoring protocol system to inform U.S. office tenants’ leasing decisions and developers’ sustainable building choices (Cleveland State University and Central Michigan University); and
- a quarterly green building index of the top 30 U.S. metro markets, yielding insights for policy makers, developers and other stakeholders and supporting lenders’ risk management analysis and investors' decisions (Maastricht University).
“The projects supported through the Real Green Research Challenge will add significant knowledge to some of the key sustainability issues in commercial real estate, such as the relative value of sustainable buildings, the most effective energy efficiency initiatives and the location of green building market growth,” said Dave Pogue, CBRE’s Global Director of Corporate Responsibility. “These and other issues are the focus of the projects CBRE is funding, and the answers could have a profound effect on how buildings are leased, occupied and improved in the future.“
CBRE’s Environmental Sustainability program includes global commitments in 11 key areas of environmentally sound performance, including resource management, occupancy, communications and training, public policy and procurement. The program provides best practices and initiatives that strengthen CBRE’s own environmental commitment, reflect the best environmental practices in our clients’ properties, and provide vital training and education to CBRE professionals.
For more information about the RGRC, please visit www.cbre.com/rgrc.
About CBRE Group, Inc.
CBRE Group, Inc. (CBG), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Los Angeles, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (in terms of 2012 revenue). The Company has approximately 37,000 employees (excluding affiliates), and serves real estate owners, investors and occupiers through more than 300 offices (excluding affiliates) worldwide. CBRE offers strategic advice and execution for property sales and leasing; corporate services; property, facilities and project management; mortgage banking; appraisal and valuation; development services; investment management; and research and consulting. Please visit our website at www.cbre.com.
Related Stories
| Dec 17, 2010
Alaskan village school gets a new home
Ayagina’ar Elitnaurvik, a new K-12 school serving the Lower Kuskikwim School District, is now open in Kongiganak, a remote Alaskan village of less than 400 residents. The 34,000-sf, 12-classroom facility replaces one that was threatened by river erosion.
| Dec 17, 2010
Luxury condos built for privacy
A new luxury condominium tower in Los Angeles, The Carlyle has 24 floors with 78 units. Each of the four units on each floor has a private elevator foyer. The top three floors house six 5,000-sf penthouses that offer residents both indoor and outdoor living space. KMD Architects designed the 310,000-sf structure, and Elad Properties was project developer.
| Dec 17, 2010
Subway entrance designed to exude Hollywood charm
The Hollywood/Vine Metro portal and public plaza in Los Angeles provides an entrance to the Red Line subway and the W Hollywood Hotel. Local architect Rios Clementi Hale Studio designed the portal and plaza to flow with the landmark theaters and plazas that surround it.
| Dec 17, 2010
New engineering building goes for net-zero energy
A new $90 million, 250,000-sf classroom and laboratory facility with a 450-seat auditorium for the College of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign is aiming for LEED Platinum.
| Dec 17, 2010
Vietnam business center will combine office and residential space
The 300,000-sm VietinBank Business Center in Hanoi, Vietnam, designed by Foster + Partners, will have two commercial towers: the first, a 68-story, 362-meter office tower for the international headquarters of VietinBank; the second, a five-star hotel, spa, and serviced apartments. A seven-story podium with conference facilities, retail space, restaurants, and rooftop garden will connect the two towers. Eco-friendly features include using recycled heat from the center’s power plant to provide hot water, and installing water features and plants to improve indoor air quality. Turner Construction Co. is the general contractor.
| Dec 17, 2010
Toronto church converted for condos and shopping
Reserve Properties is transforming a 20th-century church into Bellefair Kew Beach Residences, a residential/retail complex in The Beach neighborhood of Toronto. Local architecture firm RAWdesign adapted the late Gothic-style church into a five-story condominium with 23 one- and two-bedroom units, including two-story penthouse suites. Six three-story townhouses also will be incorporated. The project will afford residents views of nearby Kew Gardens and Lake Ontario. One façade of the church was updated for retail shops.
| Dec 17, 2010
ARRA-funded Navy hospital aims for LEED Gold
The team of Clark/McCarthy, HKS Architects, and Wingler & Sharp are collaborating on the design of a new naval hospital at Camp Pendleton in Southern California. The $451 million project is the largest so far awarded by the U.S. Navy under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The 500,000-sf, 67-bed hospital, to be located on a 70-acre site, will include facilities for emergency and primary care, specialty care clinics, surgery, and intensive care. The Building Team is targeting LEED Gold.
| Dec 17, 2010
Arizona outpatient cancer center to light a ‘lantern of hope’
Construction of the Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Gilbert, Ariz., is under way. Located on the Banner Gateway Medical Center campus near Phoenix, the three-story, 131,000-sf outpatient facility will house radiation oncology, outpatient imaging, multi-specialty clinics, infusion therapy, and various support services. Cannon Design incorporated a signature architectural feature called the “lantern of hope” for the $90 million facility.
| Dec 17, 2010
Cladding Do’s and Don’ts
A veteran structural engineer offers expert advice on how to avoid problems with stone cladding and glass/aluminum cladding systems.
| Dec 17, 2010
5 Tips on Building with SIPs
Structural insulated panels are gaining the attention of Building Teams interested in achieving high-performance building envelopes in commercial, industrial, and institutional projects.
