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Sustainability is not only an effective way to add value to the environment but also to companies. Every sector has recognised the importance of having a verifiable and accredited sustainable set-up. Gateway Gardens, one of the biggest property developments among the European airport cities, is leading the way within the real estate and construction sectors when it comes to sustainability.
A completely new city district is being developed in Frankfurt am Main: the ‘Gateway Gardens’ project. Due to be finished by 2021, it is located on the former US Rhein-Main Air Base, right next door to Frankfurt Airport. Whilst the majority of the developments will be office space and conference facilities, plans are also in place for a variety of hotels, shops, restaurants and leisure facilities – all in all the total floor space will amount to around 700,000m2. Once completed, this 35-hectare site will provide jobs for up to 18,000 people.
Gateway Gardens is a joint venture between a real estate company and the City of Frankfurt. It became clear right from the very start that this new district was aiming to lead the way and become a role model for sustainable development. The project developers have been given support here by FES Frankfurter Entsorgungs- und Service GmbH. This public private partnership, owned by the city authorities and REMONDIS, developed a bespoke waste management concept for Gateway Gardens. One of its tasks, for example, is to ensure that as little waste as possible is generated during the actual construction period. At the same time, the waste that is produced is being segregated so that the very most can be made of its material and energy contents. All the building materials and the various construction processes have been integrated into the concept to guarantee the best possible results.
A competitive advantage: sustainability certificates make building projects even more attractive.
FES is also providing a wide range of services to help implement its concept – from identifying which materials need to be collected separately, to determining where the collection points should be set up, all the way through to optimising material flows. The project developers and site managers are also being given on-site advice on setting up recycling centres and deploying waste management specialists.
“If a new building project is to be sustainable, then it is essential that it includes an innovative and efficient waste management concept,” explained Christian Tauchmann, country manager at REMONDIS International. It has been a well-known fact in the construction sector for a while now that sustainability is essential for a project to be a success. This is particularly true for real estate projects whose economic success increasingly depends on whether a sustainability certificate can be produced or not.
“If a new building project is to be sustainable, then it is essential that it includes an innovative and efficient waste management concept.“
Christian Tauchmann, country manager at REMONDIS International, responsible at FES for sustainability concepts involving the construction sector
The most popular certificates are the LEED Certificate (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and the DGNB Certificate (awarded by the German Sustainable Building Society). A whole list of criteria must have been met, however, to qualify for one of these certificates – including a sustainable waste management concept. FES helps its customers to meet these criteria so that real estate companies can increase their chance of getting a better evaluation and so gain a decisive edge over their competitors both at home and abroad.
The Rotex winter garden is part of a joint project between a real estate company and the City of Frankfurt
In addition, FES can also provide its commercial and industrial customers with a sustainability certificate, which documents the contribution these businesses make towards conserving natural resources and preventing climate change. This is the world’s first and only sustainability certificate and was developed by REMONDIS and the independent institute, ATZ. It is a sensible addition to the DGNB and LEED certificates as it demonstrates how a company’s waste management concept cuts carbon emissions and reduces the consumption of primary raw materials and energy. The method of calculation is based on the life cycle assessment as per DIN EN ISO 14040. The whole of the process chain is included in the analysis – from the collection all the way through to the recycling of the materials.
Responsible urban development: FES developed a waste management concept for the Gateway Gardens project that meets the DGNB criteria.
Recognition has already been gained for the sustainability initiatives included in the Gateway Gardens project: the developers were presented with a DGNB certificate for their new district in October 2014 – the first commercial district in Germany to have been recognised by the society. This pioneering development project has, therefore, received the best possible award with the DGNB’s Gold Certificate for commercial districts.