Oradea Plaza, a mixed-use office and retail scheme in Oradea developed by OP Retail Center SRL, part of Crown Holding Ltd., has achieved LEED v4 BD+C: Core & Shell Gold certification with a score of 61 points. The certification covers both a refurbished existing building and a newly built office component directly connected to it, assessed together under a single process. The work was coordinated by Colliers Romania's Sustainability Services team.
According to energy modelling carried out for the certification, annual energy consumption is estimated to be 23.31% lower than that of a baseline building, with associated energy costs expected to fall by 19.15%. This corresponds to estimated savings of approximately 576,000 kWh per year, equivalent to the annual consumption of around 230 apartments. Measures contributing to these results include improved building insulation, upgraded HVAC systems, heat-recovery ventilation and LED lighting.
The project also targeted water and resource efficiency. Calculated indoor potable water demand is 45.51% lower than the LEED baseline, while potable water demand for landscape irrigation is reduced by 50%. Construction and demolition waste was managed through separate collection and recycling, and material selection took into account origin, recycled content and environmental impact.
"An existing building does not start with the same advantages as a new one, but that does not mean it cannot achieve high performance standards. At Oradea Plaza, the challenge was to identify the right solutions for each component while maintaining a consistent approach across the entire scheme. I believe this is one of the key points demonstrated by the certification: upgrading existing buildings can form part of the same sustainability strategy as new developments," said Oana Stamatin, ESG Chief Officer, Sustainability Services, Colliers Romania.
"For us, the investment in the refurbishment and extension of Oradea Plaza was guided by how these buildings will perform over the long term. From the perspective of companies choosing office space, it is not only the quality of the space that matters, but also how efficiently it can be operated and the level of comfort it offers employees. The LEED Gold certification confirms the direction of our investment and gives us a common benchmark for managing the entire scheme," said representatives of OP Retail Center SRL.
The scheme is located on Dimitrie Cantemir Boulevard, near Piața Cetății and approximately 800 metres from Piața Unirii, with more than ten bus and tram stops nearby. It also includes bicycle facilities and measures to reduce roof overheating in warmer months. Colliers Sustainability Services provides consultancy for certifications including LEED, BREEAM, WELL, EDGE and Access4you, and was involved in more than one third of all certifications awarded on the Romanian market in 2025, a year in which certified projects totalled approximately 4.6 million sqm.
