Green buildings 'deserve more recognition'

A green expert has given his environmental analysis on the benefits of sustainable buildings, concluding that they deserve more recognition among real estate investors.

Paul Edwards, head of sustainability at Hammerson, stated that currently there is not enough appreciation for the importance of green constructions.

He suggested that in the future, however, questions around sustainability will become more important and property owners could lose out if measures are not taken to make their offices more environmentally-friendly.

"You will start to see tenants move away from buildings that don't have any green value to them at all because it is part of their corporate agendas," Mr Edwards stated.

He added that the significance of being associated with a sustainable building is likely to entice companies to invest in these types of real estate, which could cause owners of other varieties of properties to lose out.

Mr Edwards was speaking at the Sustainability Now virtual exhibition, which started yesterday (December 8th 2010) and sees experts in the field discuss ways to build a greener environment.

Posted by Joseph Hutton