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Following steady work together over ten years, the WCC and Implenia have achieved a major milestone in the development and realisation of Green Village, a sustainable real estate project in the heart of international Geneva. The sale of the nine-storey Kyoto building – each storey having a gross floor area of some 1,250 m² – to Swiss Life Investment Foundation at the end of June is a major milestone. It follows on from the successful sale in 2020 of the Montreal residential building and its 48 freehold apartments, to be delivered this year. These two buildings together represent the first phase of the Green Village project.
A new dimension
The success of the first phase was achieved even amid the challenging economic background of the COVID pandemic, a receding office market, the war in Ukraine and rising interest rates. It is a reward for the close and fruitful collaboration between the WCC, as landowner and Implenia, developer and builder of Green Village since 2012. As phase one moves towards completion, plans are underway for the renovation of the Ecumenical Centre, classified as a listed building by the Geneva heritage department, with a new conference centre. Further, the launch of three other new buildings is planned in phase 2, including Rio, a hotel-residence, and Stockholm, an office building which will be marketed by floor.
Sustainability at the heart of the project
The arrival of Kyoto’s new owner – Swiss Life Investment Foundation, one of Switzerland’s largest institutional real estate investors – allows the development of the Green Village site to take a significant step towards the creation of a neighbourhood which will be a model of its kind in sustainability. Scheduled for delivery in June 2024, Kyoto will be certified under the SNBS Swiss Sustainable Building Standard.
Moreover, as a neighbourhood, Green Village uses the One Planet Living principles developed by Bioregional and WWF International. The neighbourhood’s sustainability performance is certified by the Swiss Association for Sustainable Neighbourhoods, founded by WWF Switzerland and Implenia. A first audit, assessing the planning for phase one, has been successfully completed.
Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, acting general secretary of the WCC, said: “We are in a time of climate crisis. WCC advocates globally for climate justice. And as a matter of faith, we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint here in Geneva where we work, and with urgency. With renewable energy, pathways and cycle paths, local biodiversity and a detailed sustainability action plan, WCC’s vision for Green Village is coming to life.”
Green Village aims to become an attractive, sustainable place to live and work in Grand-Saconnex. With offices designed for a new way of working, and the Promenade de la Paix winding through the parks, the scene is set for international work, dialogue, encounter, as well as inspiration for all, enjoying the natural environment out of doors.
Image
Kyoto building is on the right, in the foreground. The Ecumenical Centre, a low, flat building, can be seen in the middle of the visualization.
Green Village visualisation
