Isra-Mart srl:New toolkit aims to build relationships to improve building efficiency

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Isra-Mart srl news:

Open forums between building owners and occupiers promise to remove one of the biggest barriers to greening multi-occupied commercial premises by overcoming historic tensions between the two stakeholders, according to one of the UK's leading green building initiatives.

Despite increasing pressure to improve energy efficiency, non-domestic buildings are still responsible for around 18 per cent of the UK's carbon emissions, according to the Better Buildings Partnership (BBP), a collaboration of commercial property owners and the London Development Agency (LDA).

The group is now calling for the formation of new Green Building Management Groups (GBMGs) as a means of ensuring tenants and landlords co-operate to enhance energy efficiency, cut carbon emissions and ensure compliance with new legislation such as the Carbon Reduction Commitment.

It has also this week unveiled a new toolkit, providing firms with best practice advice on how to form the new management groups.

BPP said three of its largest members, British Land, Canary Wharf Group and Hammerson, have trialled the use of GBMGs and all reduced resource energy use and waste generated from their buildings as a direct result of the new forums, which comprise the owner, occupiers and building management representatives.

Backing the launch of the BBP toolkit, British Land said that since establishing its GBMG in 2008 it had cut energy use at its head office by 1.1 million kWh, decreasing carbon emissions by 416 tonnes and saving around £63,000.

"The landlord-tenant relationship is often cited as one of the main barriers to improving the sustainability performance of commercial buildings," said Paul King, chief executive of the UK Green Building Council. "Encouraging a partnership can both improve performance and create value for all parties."