Case Study: Lessons from a Sustainable Logistics Property - The Rossmann Üllő Distribution Centre Project
Updated: Sep 4
When assessing logistics properties, factors such as location, technical standards and tenant structure are increasingly being considered alongside the building’s energy and water consumption, operating costs, environmental impact and broader ESG considerations. These factors can have a direct impact on a property’s long-term competitiveness, financing potential and ability to retain its value.
A strong example is Rossmann’s 39,000-square-metre logistics centre in Üllő, completed in 2025. Thanks to the characteristics and solutions incorporated into the building, the facility achieved a BREEAM International New Construction rating of Very Good, with an overall score of 68.10%.
However, obtaining an international certification is less important than understanding which technical and business decisions the assessment process helped to structure—and what benefits these decisions can deliver to the owner, developer or financier of a commercial or logistics property designed for long-term operation.
The project was delivered by GOLDBECK, the general contractor and project delivery partner for Rossmann’s Üllő logistics centre, while Greenbors Consulting supported the development of the sustainability and BREEAM strategy.
The Business Case Behind the Certification
BREEAM is often seen simply as a certification to be obtained at the end of a project. In reality, it can create significantly more value when used as a decision-making framework throughout the design and construction phases.
For a logistics property, sustainability performance is the result of several interconnected areas. These include energy efficiency, building services, lighting, water consumption, material selection, waste management, ecological site design and the metering infrastructure required for efficient operation. In the Rossmann project, these elements were not treated as isolated measures, but as part of an integrated certification strategy.
One of the most significant outcomes is the building’s energy performance. According to the calculations, the building’s energy demand is 44.9% lower, while its primary energy consumption is 48.1% lower than that of a standard reference building. Based on the almost 39,000-square-metre floor area, this could translate into annual savings of approximately 656 MWh of building energy and 940 MWh of primary energy, while the calculated operational carbon emissions are 43.7% lower.
For developers and owners, lower energy demand can translate into a more favourable operating cost structure and lower exposure to fluctuations in energy prices. From a financing perspective, quantifiable and documented energy performance can also be easier to assess than a general sustainability commitment.
A Well-Considered Strategy Is Worth More Than a Single High-Profile Solution
One of the key lessons from the project is that sustainable performance does not necessarily result from one standout technology.
The building is equipped with a 280 kWp rooftop photovoltaic system, with an estimated annual generation of 300–330 MWh. In addition, energy-efficient building services, intelligent controls and LED lighting throughout the building all contribute to reducing energy demand.
However, what is less visible can be just as important. Continuous sub-metering of energy and water consumption enables the operational team to make decisions based not only on annual utility bills, but on detailed consumption data. Fine-tuning the building’s operation can deliver meaningful financial benefits: based on sub-metering and continuous analysis, an additional 5–10% optimisation potential was identified.
A similarly tangible result can be seen in water consumption. According to the BREEAM calculations, the water-efficient fixtures installed in the building can reduce potable water consumption by 56.35%.
This is not simply a matter of cost. Just like energy efficiency, efficient water use is likely to become an increasingly important part of the operational resilience of real estate over the coming decades.
Sustainability as a Whole-Life-Cycle Consideration
A building’s overall environmental performance is influenced not only by how it operates, but also by the materials used during construction, the management of construction waste and the design of the site.
As general contractor and project delivery partner, GOLDBECK placed a strong emphasis on incorporating sustainability considerations throughout the construction process. This included, among other measures, achieving a high rate of construction waste recovery and applying an environmental management system.
During the construction of the Rossmann logistics centre, 82.5% of construction waste was recovered, while the general contractor operated an environmental management system certified to ISO 14001.
Almost 47% of the property’s site is green space, which can support biodiversity while also helping rainwater to infiltrate locally and mitigating overheating during the summer months.
Individually, these measures may be less visible than a large photovoltaic installation. Together, however, they illustrate one of the fundamental principles of the BREEAM approach: the sustainability of a property is built through decisions that span its entire life cycle.
What Does This Mean for the Owner and the Financier?
Documented performance that can be interpreted internationally can strengthen several factors increasingly considered in investment and financing decisions. These include expected energy and water demand, the technical maturity of the building, the ability to meet ESG data requirements, compliance with tenants’ sustainability expectations, and the property’s ability to remain competitive over the next ten to twenty years.
Based on the measures implemented, the original project documentation estimates potential annual operating cost savings of HUF 39–64 million.
It is important to note, however, that this is not an actual measured operational result, but a professional estimate based on consumption data from logistics facilities of a similar size in Hungary.
For investment decisions, this distinction is particularly important. One of the benefits of a certification such as BREEAM is precisely that it helps structure and quantify factors that can influence operating costs and a property’s long-term performance.
BREEAM Creates the Most Value When It Is More Than Just an End-of-Project Documentation Exercise
Perhaps this is the most important lesson from the Rossmann project that can be applied more broadly.
If BREEAM only enters the picture as a documentation exercise at the end of a project, the room for manoeuvre is limited, changes become more costly, and some credits may no longer be achievable.
Greenbors Consulting supported the project from the development of the sustainability and BREEAM strategy, through coordination with the design and construction teams and the management of the certification documentation, all the way to obtaining the final certificate.
In a sense, our role was to ensure that the certification process became embedded in the framework of investment and project decisions.
The real added value of sustainability consulting therefore lies in translating sustainability requirements into decisions that are meaningful and actionable for the developer, designer, contractor, owner and, ultimately, the building operator.
The goal is to turn sustainability requirements into long-term, tangible business value for our client.
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