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GREENER BUILDINGS ARE NOW “THE NEW
NORMAL”
Interest and market
activity in greener new and existing buildings in Canada continues
to grow to higher levels and is quite beyond the effect of any
government climate change policy.
Mounting evidence is supporting the
contention that greener buildings can command higher rents and asset
value, enhance occupant health and well-being, improve employee
productivity, attract tenants more quickly, reduce tenant turnover,
and cost less to operate and maintain.
Green buildings provide many financial benefits that conventional
buildings do not. These attributes include energy and water
savings, reduced waste, improved indoor environmental quality,
greater employee comfort and productivity, and lower operations and
maintenance costs.
With the growing market acceptance of
greening new and existing buildings across North America, the
business case is getting stronger to justify these types of
projects, developments, investments, and expenditures.
As corporations, governments and
consumers increasingly adopt environmental policies, strategies and
practices within their day-to-day mainstream activities, the desire
to work, live and occupy higher quality buildings is becoming a
related priority. Green has become mainstream in our corporate and
personal lives.
The bottom line on
green buildings may be as simple as this: a) if we have personal and
anecdotal evidence that a thermally comfortable, well-lit, properly
ventilated workplace, preferably with some daylight, is likely to
have a positive effect on our well-being and our morale, and
therefore would inspire greater work performance; b) that sustainable
physical elements such as adequate air exchange, produces
positive benefits in employee health and well-being, and c) that we
can build office buildings to a higher standard with these features
at little or no extra cost then - why shouldn’t we do so?
MAJOR
TRENDS, ISSUES, STRATEGIES AND OPPORTUNITIES WILL BE ADDRESSED
The Green Real Estate conference
will provide a high-level
discussion and strategic update on the economics, benefits, and
value of green buildings, along with some of the best practices that
design, construction and development teams are using to create these
types of properties.
Developers,
investors, shareholders and lenders will learn how sustainable value
is created by improving building performance, or potentially lose
market share. Real estate brokers and valuators must also become
more aware of this approaching major shift and trend.
The
program will address the key trends from the perspective of
investors, developers, owners, tenants, building users, design and
construction professionals, and the market. The emphasis will be on
practical strategic information that can be applied to real market
and project conditions.
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Stefan Ciotlos
Executive Vice President & Executive Managing Director, CB
Richard Ellis Limited |
Trish Clarry
Director, Real Estate Strategy
TELUS Communications Corporation |
2008 York Communications
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MMPI Canada, all rights
reserved.
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