Rīga Plaza receives BREEAM certificate

Fashion and entertainment centre Rīga Plaza has received the BREEAM certificate, which means that the shopping centre’s building meets the highest energy efficiency and sustainability standards, using environmentally- and user-friendly solutions. At the moment a certificate has been received for the current state of the building, while in the near future work will commence on improvements to receive a higher rating.

BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) is the world’s longest established method for assessing and certifying the sustainably of buildings. BREEAM-certified buildings are globally recognized as examples of environmentally- and user-friendly construction that is resource efficient. Thanks to well-thought-out planning, construction, choice of materials, technologies and systems, the buildings function as a single, efficient system, demonstrating best practice above the legal requirements. 

“We are truly honoured to receive the BREEAM certificate. It attests to our work, care and effort to provide a pleasant atmosphere for employees and customers, as well as our willingness to take responsibility for sustainable use of resources and preservation of nature. At the same time, the certificate motivates us to continue work on projects that already are under way, as well as to implement new ideas in order to become even more friendly to the environment and society,” says Hannes Pihl, Member of the Board at Summus Capital. 

The certificate confirms that Rīga Plaza shopping centre uses energy efficiently, protects the environment and provides a high level of comfort for the people working there. The certificate is awarded to buildings that have quality conditions for tenants, a healthy and comfortable internal climate, well thought out integration into the surrounding infrastructure and high construction value. In addition, a certified building provides various benefits for the environment – less CO2 emissions and other pollution, saving of energy, water and other resources, and respect for ecology and biodiversity. 

“It is a great honour for us to receive the BREEAM assessment system’s certificate of environmental sustainability. Right now, there are more than 540,000 certified buildings in the world, more than two million have been registered for assessment, and now we, too, can take pride in this recognition. In the near future, we are planning to continue work and development to further improve the facility’ assessment and sustainability index,” says Irīna Toropova, Asset Management Director at Colliers, the manager of Rīga Plaza. 

The BREEAM certification process was carried out in cooperation with Lithuanian company Vesta Consulting. In order to receive the certificate, an audit of the shopping centre was carried out to assess a number of categories related to working conditions, sustainability indicators, infrastructure, etc. Certification is divided in two parts – the first is certification of the building at its current state. This stage of certification took nine months, and has now been completed. During the next stage, solutions used in the building will be upgraded to obtain an even higher score.

About the Riga Plaza fashion and entertainment centre

Riga Plaza (www.rigaplaza.lv) is one of the largest shopping centres in Latvia with an area of 65,000 m2 of shopping and entertainment venues, located at Salu Bridge, Mūkusalas Street 71. In 2020, property investment company Summus Capital became the owner of Riga Plaza. Riga Plaza shopping centre is managed by international real estate company Colliers.