NEO places a high priority on sustainability and is committed to achieving net-zero certification for the entire portfolio. They took a big step towards this by certifying the retrofit plan for all seven office buildings as EDGE Zero Carbon in October 2021.

Project Overview

NEO’s office portfolio in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Philippines consists of seven buildings with a total project floor area of 289,375.6 sq. meters. The buildings are of varying ages, constructed from as early as 1999, all the way through to 2016.

As a developer and manager of high-quality workspaces in Bonifacio Global City, Philippines, NEO places a high priority on sustainability and is committed to achieving net-zero certification for the entire portfolio. NEO took a big step towards this by certifying the retrofit plan for all seven office buildings as EDGE Zero Carbon in October 2021.

EDGE Zero Carbon certification requires a minimum of 20 percent savings in water and embodied energy and a minimum of 40 percent operational energy savings. In addition, 100 percent of operational energy must be from renewables or offset using certified carbon offsets. For green retrofit projects, companies must verify that their retrofit design meets the minimum 40% operational efficiency improvements, as well as proving that the operational energy from the previous years is from renewable sources and/or offset. Once the retrofit is complete, the project will undergo final certification for EDGE Advanced and EDGE Zero Carbon.

Why EDGE?

The EDGE App has helped NEO create a retrofit plan for the buildings that will provide the required reductions in carbon. The EDGE baselines provided NEO with a benchmark to begin the process, understanding how current building performance matches existing regulations and standards and understanding the options available to them to reduce carbon most cost-effectively.

The green retrofit of the seven offices will be undertaken over a three-year timescale, commencing next year, and will include the introduction of additional building sensors, and smart meters.

The accessibility and clarity of the EDGE App was a major advantage for the NEO team, allowing them to share information and reporting internally and with external stakeholders. EDGE’s status as an independent, recognized green building certification also means that NEO can compare themselves to similar organizations on national and international developments.

Working in any of the NEO buildings means belonging to a community. NEO created the #theNEOway campaign, a work-life balance and community engagement program which is free for all NEO tenants, with activities focusing on health, wellbeing, and productivity. Tenants will benefit from reduced utility bills through the green retrofit program that NEO is undertaking, and from the contribution a sustainable workplace makes to their own CSR and net-zero carbon goals.

NEO also attained several landmark certifications that further progressed its position in sustainable real estate. It is the first office portfolio in Southeast Asia to attain the WELL Health-Safety Rating, which verifies a facility’s operational interventions and policies against the COVID-19 and other broader health issues. NEO also earned 5-star net zero carbon certifications for One/NEO, Four/NEO, and Six/NEO as pilot projects for the Philippine Green Building Council’s (PhilGBC) Advancing Net Zero Philippines program. All buildings of the NEO portfolio are 5-star certified green buildings under BERDE, the national voluntary green building rating system by the PhilGBC, and were also awarded as Energy Efficient Buildings by the Department of Energy.