SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Building energy efficiency and optimising workplace conditions

Officiis Properties is committed to improving its environmental and social performance over the long term focusing on two key areas: building certification (energy and carbon) and the creation of comfortable, optimal working conditions for tenants and their visitors.

This approach is an important element for the financial management of its buildings and, ultimately, its ability to create value for its shareholders.

APPROACH

The real estate sector accounts for around half of global energy demand. It is also one of the sectors with the biggest impacts on the environment. As a responsible group, Officiis Properties is particularly concerned with the environmental consequences of its business, especially in terms of energy consumption.

Officiis Properties is also aware that the value of its assets can be affected if the environmental dimension is not taken into consideration sufficiently for its asset management or investment decisions. Indeed, this dimension is increasingly important to financial investors and current or potential tenants in their decision-making processes. Buildings that are not aligned with the latest environmental standards or market’s demands therefore face the risk of losing value and being difficult to let, while their renovation costs will increase over the years.

Officiis Properties therefore incorporates environmental factors upstream into its decision processes and analysis systems. When required, it makes changes and improvements that will deliver environmental and financial benefits.

The company has adopted the French commercial property energy renovation charter (Charte de la rénovation énergétique des bâtiments tertiaires) since 2013.

Building certification

Buildings Types of certification
Newtime HQE, BBC, BREEAM “Excellent”
Think (underway) HQE, BBC, BREEAM “Very good”
Imagine BBC
Le Magellan N/A
Le Salengro N/A

 

REVIEW OF ACTIONS

During FY 2015-16, several environmental and renovation actions were rolled out, including:

  • Following the departure of the tenants Grassroots and TMC Régie, the Group launched work to renovate the top two floors (7th and 9th floors) of the Imagine building. As part of this work, the facades on these floors have been fitted with a ventilated double-skin and the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems for these floors are now based on reversible heat pumps, controlled by the building’s computerised technical management system.
  • A cleaning contract has been signed for the Newtime building incorporating the sorting of waste generated in its communal areas, the company restaurant and the private areas let by Orangina. Plastics, cardboard, drinks cans, glass and organic food waste are now treated separately;
  • A company catering contract has been set up with a provider focused on meals prepared at its Paris Region premises using fresh, seasonal produce. Packaging is based primarily on recycled cardboard;
  • The accessible terraces set up in the building with a provider that made a commitment to retain the vegetation in place and develop a range of plants adapted for the Paris Region’s climate;
  • The nine “Bluecar” electric charge points set up to offer users an electric vehicle rental service;
  • The renewal of a private shuttle services contract for one year serving the Newtime and Imagine buildings, which will be followed soon by Think, linking up with the La Défense transport hub. Funded in full by the company, this service benefits all the tenants in the Imagine and Newtime buildings, making it possible to encourage these tenants and their visitors to use public transport.