Citadines take the next steps in reducing the environmental impact of its New York property.

New York, NY – Citadines, a leading name in the hospitality industry known for its commitment to sustainability and excellence, is proud to announce a groundbreaking achievement. Citadines Connect Fifth Avenue, located in the heart of New York City, has become the first hotel in the United States to receive certification under the prestigious EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) green building standard.

EDGE, an innovation of IFC, is a cloud-based platform that makes it easy to design and certify resource-efficient and zero carbon buildings around the world. To qualify for certification, a building must achieve at least a 20 percent reduction in energy, water, and embodied energy in materials compared to a local baseline, which is unique for each country around the world and based on local building regulations and climactic conditions.  

Constructed in 2005, Citadines Connect Fifth Avenue is a luxury hotel, based in midtown Manhattan and comprises over 4000 square meters. Citadines Connect utilized a number of energy efficient and innovative design features to increase its resource efficiency. The hotel reached the EDGE Advanced certification level, achieving 46% energy savings, 20% water savings and 100% less embodied carbon in materials compared to the EDGE baseline for the United States.

“We are thrilled to have achieved EDGE Advanced Certification for the Fifth Avenue Citadines Connect Hotel. EDGE certification validates the hard work our team has put in to improve the environmental performance of the building,” said Ivan Bonilla, general manager at Citadines Connect. “Our guests appreciate staying in a hotel with excellent comfort and convenience, that also aligns with their green values. The certification helps us stand out in a competitive hospitality market as a sustainable accommodation option and we hope to inspire other hotels in the city to integrate sustainable practices into their developments as well.”

The building was certified by Sintali and audited by SGS, leading international companies in the green building space, and is part of a broader collaboration between all three companies to apply EDGE certification at a portfolio scale.

In New York, where buildings account for nearly three-quarters of greenhouse gas emission, decarbonising the building sector will be essential to achieve the city’s net zero targets. The project serves as a testament that decarbonisation of existing buildings is possible. Through the energy efficiency measures selected, the building will save an impressive 155 tons of CO2 annually.

“Citadines is exemplifying what we hope many other hotel owners will do, a strong commitment towards decarbonisation and improving the energy efficiency of the property,” said Eleni Polychroniadou, co-founder of global certification company Sintali. “What is particularly exciting about this project is that it is an existing asset, which are often ignored in favour of new developments. All buildings must be decarbonised, new and existing, and Citadines is leading the way in showing that it is possible.”

About Citadines

Citadines, one of the worlds most renown hospitality brands, provides a luxury hospitality experience across some of the world’s most loved cities. Citadines is just one of the brands belonging to The Ascott Limited. The Ascott Limited (Ascott) is a Singapore company that has grown to be one of the leading international lodging owner-operators. Ascott’s portfolio spans more than 190 cities across over 30 countries in Asia Pacific, Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the USA.

About EDGE

EDGE (“Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies”), an innovation of IFC, makes it easy to design and certify resource-efficient and Zero Carbon buildings around the world. IFC created EDGE to respond to the need for a measurable and credible solution to prove the business case for building green and to unlock financial investment. EDGE operates through a cloud-based platform that has a sophisticated set of city-based climate and cost data, consumption patterns, and algorithms for predicting the most accurate performance results. It is a measurable way for builders to optimize their designs to improve their building’s resource efficiency and to estimate the added cost of building green and the predicted utility savings. EDGE is available for new and existing buildings, including offices, homes, hotels, schools, light industry, warehouses, and data centers. To qualify for certification, a building must achieve at least a 20 percent reduction in energy, water, and embodied energy in materials compared to a conventional building. For more information, visit www.edgebuildings.com

About Sintali

Sintali is an independent company that quantifies and verifies the environmental impact of decisions, and helps organisations map out the road to net zero. With deep expertise in the development of green building standards and corporate sustainability, Sintali brings transparency and rigor to the sustainability realm. For more information, visit https://www.sintali.com

About SGS

As the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company, SGS is recognised as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 89,000 employees, SGS operates a network of more than 2,600 offices and laboratories around the world. SGS’s reputation for independence, excellence and innovation has established the company as the market leader in providing services that improve efficiency, reduce risk and deliver competitive advantages for customers. For more information, visit www.sgs.com