COPRO receives award for sustainable commercial quarter

Presentation of the DGNB platinum pre-certificate for the Urban Centre project in Berlin at EXPO REAL

Berlin, 6 October 2017 – A great honour for COPRO: The property developer and investor receives the prestigious DGNB Platinum pre-certificate for the Urban Centre project. Platinum, the highest category, recognises the outstanding performance of COPRO and the entire planning team led by Ortner & Ortner Baukunst, as well as the project manager KVL. The German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) awards the Berlin flagship project, among other things, for its regenerative, resource-efficient architecture. After COPRO received the first Gold certification for a historic building in 2015, this marks another benchmark.

Since 2009, the DGNB has been awarding certificates in the levels of Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. The non-profit organisation based in Stuttgart evaluates the sustainability of buildings and quarters according to objective criteria. The quality is assessed over the entire building lifecycle. The DGNB system is now regarded as a "Global Benchmark for Sustainability".

"The award is a great honour for us and the entire Urban Centre team," says Marc F. Kimmich, managing partner of COPRO. "It is also a commitment to consistently pursue our vision." Kimmich thinks far beyond mere construction measures. "Starting from architecture to eco-effectiveness, mobility, pluralism, as well as art and culture, and living and working – we engage with these aspects from various perspectives."

Development of a forward-looking commercial quarter

At the heart of the Urban Centre project for COPRO is the question of what needs people and businesses have and how the right spaces for living and working can be created, enabling both interaction and retreat, collaboration and concentration in equal measure. The project aims to demonstrate how an activating, healthy urban landscape should be designed to invite people to linger. With partially green façades, roof and storey gardens, and a synergistic, socially balanced mix of uses, the area will open up to users and visitors alike. The high quality of life and stay is achieved through health-promoting, sustainable spaces and places. This includes a holistic energy concept that integrates various renewable energies (including wind and solar energy, geothermal energy). Furthermore, the connection and promotion of public transport as well as pedestrian and cycling traffic with forward-looking mobility offerings is an important component of the project. The presentation of the DGNB Platinum pre-certificate took place on 5 October 2017 at EXPO Real. Under the motto "Sustainable Building Culture", the stand partners included the Federal Chamber of Architects (BAK), the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB), the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), and the Federal Foundation for Building Culture at a joint stand.

You can access the full press release here.

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