Hines-Developed Industrial Facility in Sao Pãulo Receives LEED Silver Pre-Certification, First of its Kind in Brazil
Brazil’s growing economic climate, spurred on by major upcoming events such as the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games hosted by Rio de Janeiro, is providing an exciting investment climate for big real estate players.
By Alex Girda, Associate Editor
São Paulo, Brazil—Brazil’s growing economic climate, spurred on by major upcoming events such as the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games hosted by Rio de Janeiro, is providing an exciting investment climate for big real estate players. Hines, an international real estate firm, has recently announced that one of its industrial projects has been awarded Silver pre-certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, part of their LEED for Core & Shell Rating System. Set to be completed in 2014, the facility will be the first industrial building in Brazil to be garnered with the distinction.
When completed, the 527,432-square foot development will provide prime space for logistics and distribution tenants, in an environmentally friendly setting. Distribution Park Embu II in Sao Pãulo was pre-certified LEED Silver for Core & Shell based on documents submitted by the developer. Construction plans stipulate that the facility would encompass a number of green-minded technologies that would help reduce on-location energy consumption as well cut down on waste created during the development process itself.
The fixtures the developer plans to have set up at the facility in order to reach its aforementioned goals are as follows: prismatic lenses allowing natural light to fill the warehouse as well as a system that manages the lighting depending on the luminosity inside the building which will effectively reduce energy by as much as 20 percent; an energy management system that separately measures air conditioning, plugs and lighting and a rainwater collection system that redirects it for washing, landscaping and toilet use. The development process also calls for the use of regional materials in the construction process, in proportion of at least 20 percent, the reduction of the ‘heat island effect’ through high solar reflectance roofing materials and a thermo-acoustic layer, while the control of such damaging effects such as soil erosion, waterway sedimentation and airborne dust generation are also on the cards for the development. Should these fixtures be put in place once the construction is finished, and subject to a final review, the facility is set to be awarded with the Green Building Council’s LEED Silver Certification.
Tenants will have the option of further contributing to the eco-friendly facility through Hines’ GREEN OFFICE for Tenants program. The initiative assists leaseholders in the process of finding out their best options as they look to lower their carbon footprint. According to Hines Director Benny Finzi, the company is “working diligently to bring this project to fruition, and we are pleased to be doing so in a sustainable way.”