The 2022 Sustainability Report highlights the main points of focus for the company, starting from customer health, safety, and well-being to the care used in local communities' development, and the measures the company has set in place to limit greenhouse gas emissions, with the goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, with 50% of their developments being already assessed for climate change adaptation risks.
Speedwell was founded in 2014 and up to date, the company developed more than 560,000 sqm net built surface, representing 105,000 sqm of offices and retail spaces, 4,000 residential units, and more than 10,000 sqm designed for SMEs' needs. Most of the developments are in Bucharest, with a successful record of accomplishment and ongoing projects in other major cities such as Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, and Râmnicu Vâlcea.
Last year, the company received the ESG award from BEROCC (Belgian Luxembourg Romanian Moldovan Chamber of Commerce) as a token of the company's effort for making every development sustainable.
“It has been necessary from the very start to develop a smart strategy in our business approach. Identifying the optimal location by examining the primary data, we foresee and create the features and facilities that will ensure the well-being of end-users and our investors, relying on efficient architecture and innovative technology. What will become and how the new project will develop are the most important aspects in relation to our stakeholders, the future community that is being created, and the development's overall impact on the environment. On this basis, our sustainability strategy has been ingrained in our overall business strategy as we have been following the highest European construction standards from the very beginning”, said Jan Demeyere, Architect and Co-Founder of Speedwell.
The method employed for the 2022 Report consisted in analyzing the standards, frameworks, and international sustainability initiatives that are taken across multiple sectors at the global level impacting governance, environment, and employees (ESG – Environment, Social, Governance). Internal and external stakeholders were consulted through a questionnaire which resulted in nine relevant pillars: customer wellness, local communities, GHG emissions, classified as making a significant contribution to sustainability goals, while material/resource efficiency & land use, occupational H&S, climate change adaptation, biodiversity, corruption, and connectivity did not cause significant harm. These pillars stand at the basis of the company's sustainability strategy.
„True real estate projects are designed and implemented to last for life and beyond. Timeless architecture tells us this story and we believe that smart technology helps us integrate sustainability in every decision we are taking in our day-to-day operations, including micro-local decisions that have an impact across our business segments and locations, partners, and future. Today's business environment must follow global sustainability goals to survive, and this is best achieved with a sound local strategy that has at its heart the sustainability component, as the name says, meant to sustain a business, and the built environment, and improve the residents' quality of life. Our goal to limit even further the GHG emissions of the built environment to net zero by 2050 is part of our commitment to sustainability and high living standards. Putting in place a Sustainability strategy confirms our firm future direction” said Didier Balcaen, CEO and Co-Founder of Speedwell.
A common theme in Speedwell's initiatives is the transformation of brownfields and other derelict industrial areas into lively sustainable communities through repurposing the existing buildings in ample urban regeneration projects. As part of the sustainability approach, Speedwell's projects are designed under the concept of transit-oriented development (TOD).
