Mon Trésor, a major real estate development project on the island of Mauritius, has become the first southern hemisphere project to achieve BREEAM Communities certification.
The 482 hectare development is set to become a modern, sustainable community with a balanced mix of employment, generating business activity and an extensive residential offer.
Omnicane, the master developer for the site, adopted the BREEAM Communities framework to support the integration of the development within the wider area, minimising any adverse impact on existing communities, infrastructure and local services, subsequently supporting the delivery of the high sustainability aspirations for the site.
After obtaining the interim certification for the entire development, final certification is underway for the first phase. This is part of the wider 30 year mixed-use development programme for the area, of which BREEAM Communities will play a central role.
Mr. Jacques M. D’Unienville, CEO of Omnicane says: “Major developments such as Mon Trésor take several years to design and build and BREEAM Communities was developed to operate over such extended timescales. It is therefore a perfect tool to assess and maximise the project’s sustainability benefits. It will also help to demonstrate these achievements not only to Mauritius but to the world.”
“As part of creating an appealing, dynamic and more sustainable urban environment, strong emphasis will be put on the use of sustainable building materials, designing the area to be adaptable to the impacts of climate change, improvements to the local public transport system as well as a reduction in energy use.”
Mon Trésor will be different from existing coastal developments in Mauritius. Central to the project is job creation, capitalising on the growing potential of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (SSR) International Airport which will stimulate the local economy and will create a market for housing in the vicinity. This development will offer working, living and leisure services within a short distance of each other, to prevent unnecessary travel and energy wastage.
BREEAM Communities is a site-wide sustainability assessment method, providing a framework through which the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the plans for large scale developments can be improved, measured and certified. BREEAM Communities is perceived by the developer as an inspirational standard to continuously improve real estate while demonstrating value and sustainability to clients and tenants of a development. It is a framework which provides a structure and process for a sustainable development which is geared towards the wellbeing of the society, the environment and the economy. BREEAM Communities fosters responsible action within the community and provides commercial benefits obtained from sustainability, including achieving; lower costs of operations, anticipating future increased regulations and energy prices, facilitation of increased staff productivity and overall satisfaction amongst stakeholders.
Have a look at the BREEAM Communities Case Studies.
