The award was presented by IFC CEO Philippe Le Houérou to EZ Land CEO Olivier Do Ngoc Dung on August 12 at a ceremony on site, attended by the Swiss Consul General to Ho Chi Minh City and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction Director.
IFC’s EDGE, which stands for Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies, is a building resource efficiency certification system created for emerging markets like Vietnam. It provides developers with technical solutions for going green, with cost effective and efficient designs to create affordable, environmentally friendly buildings. EDGE’s rating system guarantees savings of at least 20 per cent in energy and water use, as well as building materials, while cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
“Green building standards can make a big difference for the planet,” said Le Houérou. “Today’s buildings generate 19 per cent of the world’s energy-related greenhouse gasses and consume 40 per cent of electricity. By 2050, the built environment is expected to double, due to population growth and urbanization. Most of that will come in emerging markets such as Vietnam, which is why programs like EDGE are so important.”
By applying modern technical standards and construction technology from COFICO and prestigious partners, EZ Land has managed and delivered a high-quality and environmentally-friendly real estate product to the market, with the official HausNeo Apartments opening and handover ceremony being held on 10 August, one month ahead of schedule.
Through adopting EDGE-enhanced features such as reduced window to wall ratio, external shading devices, energy-efficient lighting, low-flow faucets and lower embodied energy materials, HausNeo is expected to achieve reductions of 29 per cent in energy, 32 per cent in water and 47 percent in embodied energy in materials.
“There are signs of increasing awareness of the value of going green in the Vietnamese market. People are attracted by the savings they can achieve through lower utility bills and by the unique green features of EDGE-certified buildings. This EDGE certification will further help raise people’s awareness and shows the sustainable value of EZ Land through our first apartment project – HausNeo,” said Dung of EZ Land.
Operating in Vietnam for five years, EZ Land is known as a visionary, quality real estate developer with a vision to help young families open the door to home ownership. Backed by European funding and with experience in real estate investment and business, EZ Land is targeting to build 3,000-5,000 apartment units in the next three to five-year period. With HausNeo, EZ Land has not only provided quality apartment projects at an affordable price, but also offered its residents an opportunity to embrace the best of contemporary living.
EZ Land has committed to becoming an EDGE Champion by adopting EDGE green features to its entire building portfolio.
In just five years in Vietnam, the EDGE system has been applied to nearly 1.4 million square meters of floor space in Vietnam – accounting for over 50 percent of the country’s total green building market.
