Polish company Scallier, which is developing a chain of retail parks in Romania under the brand name Funshop Park, has decided to choose BREEAM as the certification system for newly built schemes. Gleeds, one of the world’s largest companies operating in the construction consultancy market, is responsible for the certification process as well as project and cost management services. By 2022, Scallier plans to deliver 6 assets under the Funshop Park brand, which will offer a total of 40,000 sqm of modern retail space (GLA). Further projects are in the preparatory stage.
“We are in the process of advanced talks with tenants. The latter include Polish retail chains wishing to develop in the attractive Romanian market, which is characterised by the rapidly growing purchasing power of consumers. At the same time, the Romanian market is very polarised: most of the modern retail space operating in the country is located in Bucharest. One of our basic goals was to develop properties that are as sustainable as possible, providing tangible benefits to tenants and local communities,” says Wojciech Jurga, Partner at Scallier.
So far, only 8 assets in the retail and service sector in Romania have obtained BREEAM certification. Scallier will therefore make a significant contribution to expanding this pool and developing this positive trend. Overall, there are more than 250 green buildings in Romania, nearly half of which have been certified within the past 3 years, with the highest number in 2019.
“Currently, around 75% of the certified buildings are located in Bucharest. These statistics show great potential for developing green buildings in the rest of Romania’s regions – outside the capital city. The decision to choose BREEAM certification was motivated by the possibility of using not only European but also local standards, and a variety of solutions that contribute to the development of land with respect for the environment. Thanks to using the BREEAM criteria, including appropriate design solutions, we gain additional advantages for users of all age groups, e.g. playgrounds in outdoor areas,” says Justyna Chmielewska, Head of Sustainability at Gleeds Polska.
Gleeds’ contract for Scallier includes project management and cost management services, which are the responsibility of the local Gleeds Romania team, and BREEAM certification, which is executed by a team of specialists from Gleeds Poland.
