Spotlight on Real Estate: Top Four Trends in Green Buildings
September 23, 2009— To celebrate the first Annual
World Green Building Day, RBC today announced four trends
in the North American building sector.
1. More new buildings are being built green
The number of new green buildings is increasing, and this
is directly related to a significant increase in demand for
green office space. Green office space and buildings are becoming
a pillar of corporate sustainability programs for many corporations.
For example, the new, 42-story RBC Centre, based in downtown
Toronto, will be the first planned LEED-Gold office tower
in Canada, reflecting RBC's commitment to environmental sustainability.
2. Energy efficiency is driving the retrofit market
Building owners and tenants are working hard to protect themselves
from the unpredictability of energy prices. As a result, the
Canadian commercial and institutional sectors now invest $11
billion annually into building repairs and energy efficiency
retrofits.i This trend also holds true south of the border,
where McKinsey & Company reported $125 billion in planned
energy efficiency projects in the commercial sector over the
next 20 years.ii
3. Return on investment is becoming clear
The financial business case for many new green building projects
now rests on a win-win combination of renewable energy projects
that generate revenue with energy efficiency upgrades. This
trend is being ramped up by proposed legislation in many jurisdictions,
through the introduction of government rebates, tax credits
and feed-in-tariffs that are geared towards incentivizing
renewable energy projects.
4. Building certifications gaining in popularity
Building certifications such as Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) are gaining popularity because
they help provide clarity to the market by establishing a
standard that can be used to compare the green attributes
and performance of buildings.
About RBC: For more information on green buildings,
look for an RBC White Paper on Green Buildings, to be released
in the fall of 2009. RBC is one of the world's most sustainable
corporations. For more information, please visit www.rbc.com/environment
About the Summit: The 2009 World Green Building Council
Leaders Summit is the first time Canadian and world industry
leaders and policy makers have come together to hear from
international and national experts about how green buildings
can substantially reduce carbon emissions. RBC is a proud
sponsor of the Summit.
I Natural Resources Canada, August 2009, Heads Up Energy
Efficiency Newsletter
II McKinsey & Company,
2009, Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the U.S. Economy
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