Alongside its commitment to excellence and quality, Eaglestone also devotes significant focus on the sustainability of its projects. The developer’s commitment is reflected in their innovative positioning with respect to the environmental challenge. With “The Bridge” project, they are demonstrating this commitment and their position as a pioneer in the sector by making a direct contribution to the fight against climate change, as it is the first real estate project to be awarded the “Carbon Footprint Neutral” certification in Luxembourg.

The first real estate project to obtain carbon neutrality certification

“The Bridge” is the iconic building of the new “Brooklyn” complex, on the Dernier Sol block (Bonnevoie) and alongside the extension of the tram line beyond the Central Station. It will feature almost 4,250 m2 of office space.
“We viewed this project as an excellent opportunity to implement a carbon certification process for the building, the first of its kind in Luxembourg, as a clear demonstration of our group’s commitment to social responsibility,” explains Jean-Christophe Bocci, Technical Director at Eaglestone Luxembourg.

“By adopting this certification process, we are seeking to take a pragmatic approach to examining architectural potential in order to reduce the carbon impact of our projects as much as possible,” explains Stéphane Bagat, Project Director, Eaglestone. “Furthermore, occupants are becoming increasingly attuned to environmental aspects. Although this is not the primary objective of the approach, this commitment also serves to address new market expectations.”
Measuring, reducing and offsetting emissions

In this context, Eaglestone approached Energie et Environnement, which launched the Carbon Footprint label earlier this year. The engineering consultancy firm that specialises in energy and environmental issues provides guidance and assistance in developing projects by assessing their carbon footprint, helping to significantly reduce their emissions and, ultimately, by offsetting residual emissions associated with implementing them.

“The Carbon Footprint label, which is part of a “measure-reduce-neutralise” approach, aims to support and promote the efforts of entities that are committed to reducing their carbon impact,” explains Julien L’Hoest, partner at Energie et Environnement. “Based on ISO standards and internationally recognised benchmarks, it applies to real estate developments as well as to any other activity or commodity.”

The Bridge is the first real estate development project in Luxembourg to embrace an approach that involves assessing and reducing the carbon impact inherent to its construction. For this purpose, an accurate assessment of the carbon impact of the initial project is compiled based on the quantities of materials recorded in the schedules.

“The assessment process qualifies for the Carbon Footprint Checked label. It is essential in that it can be used to identify the components of the building that are high emitters of CO2 and examine the solutions to minimise their impact,” adds Daphné Piona, from the Energie et Environnement office. “To obtain the “Carbon Footprint Optimised” label, the emissions associated with the project must be significantly reduced.”

A reforestation project in the East of France to offset 2,900 metric tons of CO2

With The Bridge, Eaglestone has set its sights on the most advanced certification: Carbon Footprint Neutral.

This is envisaged after the assessment and CO2 reduction phases and is granted after measures to offset residual emissions have been implemented. For Eaglestone, this carbon contribution consists of funding regional projects that contribute to reducing global emissions.

In reality, the carbon emission reduction phase of the project enabled more than 10% of the emissions of the initial project to be saved, which corresponds, for example, to the equivalent of the emissions of 100 round-trip flights between Luxembourg and New York.

On the whole, to achieve carbon neutrality of the future office building, Eaglestone will offset nearly 2,900 metric tons of CO2 equivalent by undertaking to regenerate a degraded forest plantation covering an area of approximately 18 hectares located in Moselle, the equivalent of 18 football pitches. This action is carried out in collaboration with the French national forestry office (ONF).

“Thanks to the Eaglestone project, the ONF will replant the forest with a variety of tree species that are better adapted to future climates and will help restore a forest ecosystem that has been affected by climate change. With the storage of the equivalent of 2,900 metric tons of CO2 over a period of 30 years, the project will contribute to mitigating climate change and will also promote biodiversity”, explains Christophe Fotré, territorial director of the ONF du Grand Est. “At a time when many forest stands are suffering from drought and health crises, it is essential to continue to replenish the forest in response to climate change. At the ONF, this ambition is supported by the development of “low-carbon” certified projects, through which companies can contribute to highlighting the essential role of our forests in regulating the climate and protecting biodiversity.”

Leading the way to more effective change management

“Today, we are very proud to be the first project in Luxembourg to take up the climate change challenge,” remarks Jean-Christophe Bocci. “As we are fully aware of the importance of the real estate sector in the fight against GHG emissions, we want to act responsibly, through a systemic approach, to lead the way towards effective change. With our determination to voluntarily offset CO2 by supporting a low-carbon labelled project, the aim is to encourage environmentally-friendly projects on a local scale that make sense for our business.”

The label obtained at the “project” phase will be confirmed once the building has been handed over, in particular after ascertaining that the features designed to minimise the project’s carbon impact have been implemented.