Within a recent interview with RoGBC offered to The Diplomat-Bucharest, Elena Rastei, the coordinator of RoGBC Transilvania programs, stated that RoGBC is the initiator of the „green mortgage” program concept, which means an accessible mortgage loan for energy efficient building buyers, hence acknowledging the building’s value based on factors such as financial security, quality and market price, accordint to The Diplomat.he program raised interest in several financial institutions and is currently in various stages of implementation.
Currently, Romania Green Building Council works with municipalities in several cities across the country concerning the implementation of fiscal incentives for LEED, BREEAM or DGNB certified buildings. The Municipality of Cluj Napoca approved the first fiscal incentive in benefit of both companies and families or individuals interested in certifying their properties. Starting with the fiscal year 2013 the city council approved a 50% tax reduction for residential owners and the minimum level of 0.25% for commercial buildings. In Timisoara, Targu Mures, Bucharest and Iasi the tax reduction will be set differently according to each rating level achieved.
The concept of green building has deep roots in the american environmentalism movement of the seventies when it was promoted as building disconected from society and self-suficient, direction which is still promoted nowadays in residential buildings and by certifications such as Living Building Challege which calls for zero energy, zero carbon and zero waste goals. At industrial level, the concept evolved under the market preasure to became a tag for „high-performing”, „efficient” and „restorative” buildings. Clearly that the impact of small scale, residential buildings made of natural, local and easly accesible materials such as cob, rocks, straw bales and reused, recovered materials have a significatly lower environmental impact than the „green” comercial buildings in urban settings, reason why the term „high-performing” buildings better defines the commercial assets.
A building must strive for resource efficiency in order to minimize the impact of mining, reduce soil, water and energy use during material manufacture, building construction and operation and it must provide a healthy indoor environment. In terms of design, a critical component is the integrated whole building approach based on life cycle at all levels.
Elena Rastei is an environmentalist and sustainability specialist with over four years of expertise in green building certification systems at both national and international levels. She coordinates the RoGBC Transilvania programs and lectures the Green Building Certification course within the Romania Green Building Education Platform.
Find the full interview within the upcoming analysis in green buildings in January edition, the first of the 10-year Anniversary series of The Diplomat-Bucharest.
