The state-of-the-art office block, The Centre, strategically located at Tigné Point, was awarded first place as a sustainable enterprise at the annual Sustainable Enterprise Awards ceremony organised by the Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Businesses. These awards serve to recognise, promote and reward business organisations that have made a significant contribution to the various aspects of sustainable development. This is not the first sustainable award for The Centre, which was the first Maltese development to be awarded the prestigious GOLD Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification.
Sustainability is based on the simple principle that everything we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. While new technologies continue evolving to help complement current practices in creating greener buildings, the common objective is to find ways of reducing the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment.
From the very beginning, The Centre was designed with the main aim of creating a sustainable development that protects its environment while providing its workers and visitors with a comfortable, productive and healthy environment for both work and leisure. The five strategic and sustainable pillars on which The Centre focuses are sustainable site development, water saving, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection and indoor environmental quality. The Centre, as a LEED-certified building, therefore maximises the use of key resources more efficiently than conventional buildings.
"We are thrilled to receive such an award, which represents our commitment to making a positive contribution to the environment by developing and managing a sustainable and environmentally-friendly building. Developing sustainably is about meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of our future generations and we know that there is a growing need and demand for green buildings across all sectors and organisations. Hopefully, this award and recognition will encourage others to follow suit," said CEO JanKarl Farrugia.
Developed at a cost of €28 million over a period of two-and-a-half years, this commercial project was completed just over a year ago and enjoys full occupancy. A sustainable approach to building included implementing practical and measurable strategies and solutions aimed at achieving high performance in sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. Furthermore, the building has been fitted out to the highest specifications, complete with a state-of-the-art IT services backbone and centralised HVAC heating and cooling throughout.