The commitment that Ascott Residence Trust (ART) has shown towards economic, environmental, and social developments has earned the company top rankings in the 2021 Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB).
These include 'Global Sector Leader - Hotel' (the top rank under the Asia Pacific Hotel - Listed category), an overall 4-star rating in GRESB 2021, and an 'A' score for public disclosure policies.
ART's properties are mostly operated under the Ascott The Residence, Somerset, Quest and Citadines brands, including securing a green loan in early 2021 for its maiden development project — the 324-unit lyf one-north Singapore, marked for a 4Q 2021 launch.
Apart from achieving the Green Mark Gold Plus award by the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore, once operational, lyf one-north Singapore is estimated to achieve water savings of about nine Olympic-size pools annually.
To date, the hospitality trust has 21 green-certified properties in its portfolio, with plans to green its entire portfolio by 2030.
The GRESB assessments assess the sustainability performance of real estate portfolios (public, private and direct) worldwide. They cover performance data, such as energy, GHG emissions, water and waste.
“From ensuring that sustainability is factored in our investments, to working with our operators and lessees to green our properties globally, and stepping up our sustainable financing efforts, we aim to continue contributing to the environmental and social wellbeing of the communities,” said Beh Siew Kim, chief executive officer of ART.