Green Buildings in Russia – is all still quiet on the Eastern Front?
The World Bank and IFC have recently reported that Russia’s current energy inefficiency is equal to the annual primary energy consumption of France. Indeed, the low local cost of energy, a mainly declarative legislation on environmental efficiency and little public interest have long kept Russia out of the global warming debate, and far away from the exotic issue of green buildings.
This trend is hopefully coming to an end with the recent enactment of a new law with compulsory requirements on energy saving and efficiency. This marks a clear ambition by Russian policymakers and will probably enhance the nascent interest in green buildings of the main players in the real estate industry, who [...]
Legislation on waste disposal in Russia: some practical tips for contractors
- By George Burn,
for Salans
Post prepared by Karina Chichkanova (Partner, Head of Salans’ St. Petersburg Real Estate Group) and Galina Pashkovskaya (Associate)
In connection with the constantly increasing volume of construction in Russia, one of the main issues that developers and construction companies encounter is the problem of managing the waste that results from wrecking or construction works, as well as “abandoned” waste located at the land plot under development.
“Ownership of and responsibility for waste” provisions of Russian law and construction work contracts or waste removal and disposal contracts in Russia are very important and should not be ignored by the parties.
The key legal issue that arises [...]
Going Green Gets Greatly Muddled
The spreading trend toward “green” building has resulted in a number of competing and overlapping certification systems, with only faint hope in sight of better standardization. United States builders are most familiar with the LEED system sponsored by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). Through USGBC’s association with the World Green Building Council, LEED is now available in almost 60 countries, spanning the globe from Malaysia to Morocco.
Starting in 1996, Canada’s Building Research Establishment developed its Environmental Assessment Method. This then evolved into an online assessment and rating tool owned by BOMA Canada, known as Green Globes. BOMA Canada then [...]
We’re Turning Green: New Green Contract Addendum is Released
The U.S momentum to build “green” is rapidly gaining popularity, with the office market currently leading the way toward more sustainable structures. The construction industry, including the publishers of form construction contracts, is scrambling to keep up. ConsensusDOCS, a relatively new group of industry organizations that is promoting a family of contract forms that have been released in a steady stream since 2007, has now provided a document for contractually assigning the parties’ respective liabilities when entering into contracts for a green building.
The leading set of green building standards and certification process used in the U.S. to date is the LEED certification proc [...]
