Eko Atlantic City earns IFC EDGE certification, closes in on green city status
The emerging Africa’s all-round skyscrapers waterfront, the Eko Atlantic City (EAC) has moved inches close to becoming a world green city following the securing of its first International Finance Corporation’s EDGE (IFC EDGE) certification on Alpha1, the EAC’s flagship office tower for the city.
This was disclosed in an exclusive interview with the Vice Chairman of the promoting group, South Energyx Nigeria Ltd, Ronald Chagoury Jr.
He stressed that by receiving the EDGE certification, Alpha1 joins a line-up that includes Cornerstone Towers (Lagos, Nigeria), Atlantic Tower (Accra, Ghana), and Citra Towers (Jakarta, Indonesia), among many others. So far, in Nigeria, 370 homes have been EDGE certified with over 2,010 tCO2 of carbon dioxide to be eliminated per year.
Business Hilights recalls that the South Energyx Nigeria Ltd is the city planner and developer of Eko Atlantic City.
Explaining more, elated Chagoury Jr, said the EDGE certification demonstrates Eko Atlantic’s commitment to becoming the first green city in Lagos averring that EDGE, which stands for ‘Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies’, cuts down building energy and water consumption by at least 20 per cent while lowering greenhouse-gas emissions.
He said “As the roles of resource efficiency and sustainability become more apparent in preserving our planet, Eko Atlantic City has secured its first ever EDGE certification from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group.
“The certification was awarded to Alpha1 Towers; Eko Atlantic City’s pioneer office building completed in 2016, following its fulfilment of IFC’s criteria to reach the minimum standard of using 20 per cent less resource intensity in energy, water, and embodied energy in materials.
Real estate industry experts say EDGE certification has become a worldwide trend with nearly nine million square meters of floor space certified to date. The estimated energy savings are over 360,000 MWh per year, with over 9.5 million m3 of water per year and over 206,000 tCO2 of carbon dioxide per year, among other benefits.
Continuing, Chagoury Jr added that “At Eko Atlantic, we are determined to build a green city, one that is future-ready. “By encouraging developers to construct resource-efficient buildings such as Alpha1 has done, we have a unique opportunity to create an eco-friendly city that will have a high percentage of green buildings that have been certified to standards such as EDGE. This means that Lagos State will raise the bar and usher in a new era in the development of green cities.”
“The market potential for green buildings in emerging markets is estimated at $24.7 trillion by 2030, according to IFC’s recent report, Green Buildings: A Finance and Policy Blueprint for Emerging Markets,” said Marcene Mitchell, IFC’s Global Head for Climate Strategy and Business Development, who leads the EDGE programme.
“Eko Atlantic’s encouragement of EDGE certification for its properties validates the opportunity for green buildings in Nigeria and demonstrates their understanding of the importance of pursuing a more low-carbon path, Chagoury Jr noted.
