NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT MANAGERS
10
NAREIM
THE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
THAT ADDS AND PROTECTS VALUE
SUSTAINABLE
By Amy Price
President and COO,
Bentall Kennedy U.S.
In a recent study, we found that sustainable
buildings, whether newly created or
retrofitted, are having a significant impact
on tenant satisfaction. The 2016 Tenant
Satisfaction Survey¹ conducted by Kingsley
Associates on our behalf revealed that
tenants are more aware of green building
programs in 2016 than they were in 2014
and that a healthier work environment
and cost savings are driving interest
in green programs. According to the
Kingsley IndexSM, Kingsley's national
database of office tenant survey results²,
nearly 35% of tenants now see green
practices as a high priority when
conducting a space search.
An academic study we commissioned
found that sustainable office buildings also
deliver both higher income and greater
value. Dr. Nils Kok of Maastricht University
in The Netherlands and Dr. Avis Devine of
the University of Guelph in Canada studied
nearly 300 office properties we manage
S
ustainability has been a buzzword
and an aspiration for decades, and
a company's ability to demonstrate
purpose and a commitment to stewardship
has become an increasingly important
driver of reputation. But a sustainable
approach yields value well beyond brand
perception, and real estate investors
seeking an edge will find that a green
approach to property management not
only increases the value of assets that
showcase sustainable features, it also
helps to mitigate the risks should
a downturn come.
PUTTING A VALUE ON
SUSTAINABLE PROPERTY
Having a focus on sustainability is more
than good citizenship and public relations.
Through our experience at Bentall Kennedy
we've upheld that a sustainable approach
to property development and management
adds quantifiable value as well as a
powerful and often overlooked risk
management benefit.
