Vesteda certifies nearly 27,500 homes with BREEAM-NL sustainability label
Vesteda has certified almost its entire residential portfolio of 27,500 homes according to the new BREEAM-NL In-Use Homes guideline. This makes it the world’s largest ever residential certification achieved in one go. It also immediately creates the largest BREEAM-certified property portfolio in the world. So this certification is not only an important milestone for Vesteda, but also for BREEAM-NL.
Stephan de Bie, Sustainability Programme Manager at Vesteda: “We worked hard with our partners to certify our entire portfolio in one go and we are very pleased with the result. The BREEAM-NL certificates give us greater insight into the sustainability performance of our residential complexes, both in terms of energy use and in other areas, such as accessibility, use of materials and biodiversity. Incidentally, the BREEAM-NL certificates are not our final goal, but the starting point for the continued improvement of the sustainability performance of our residential portfolio.”
Rudy van der Helm, Development and Management manager at the Dutch Green Building Council (DGBC): “We are extremely proud that Vesteda is using BREEAM-NL to make its portfolio more sustainable. It’s quite an achievement to gain certification of such a large portfolio within the space of a year. The baseline measurement Vesteda has now carried out provides a huge amount of insight and identifies opportunities for further sustainability improvements. We are looking forward to the steps that follow on the basis of this process.”
Providing burden of proof
The large-scale certification, which required a lot of evidence, such as construction drawings, floor plans, inspection reports and all kinds of photos, was performed with the help of a BREEAM-NL Expert from CFP Green Buildings and a BREEAM-NL assessor from Longevity Partners.
Simone Tabor, managing partner for consultancy at CFP Green Buildings: “Last year, we guided Vesteda through the first step towards making their residential portfolio more sustainable. This was a very exciting and special project for CFP, which has been using its knowledge and experience in sustainability certifications for many years. Our intensive cooperation with all the parties involved led to the above result. This is an important milestone for Vesteda and for us, and at the same time the starting point for improving the sustainability of the 27,500 homes.”
Roger Toussaint, managing director at Longevity Partners BV, says: “BREEAM-NL In-Use Homes was developed to measure and improve the sustainability performance of existing homes. In 2021, Longevity co-developed this assessment guideline, so I’m very proud of the team that delivered over 630 certificates in 2022 to map the sustainability of nearly 27,500 homes. It is extraordinary to see how Vesteda is addressing the results of the assessment to make further sustainability improvements in the future. This project shows that it is possible to certify large portfolios in an efficient way, as well as to get down to work on the sustainability front.”
New BREEAM-NL guideline
Building Research Establishment (BRE) and DGBC developed the new BREEAM-NL In-Use Homes guideline. Vesteda felt that there was still no appropriate, independent certification method to map the sustainability performance of its residential portfolio and compare it with other properties. This is why Vesteda supported BRE and the DGBC in the development of this guideline.