MPC Properties – Sustainable Real Estate Projects and Inclusive Community

(Usce Shopping Center)

MPC Properties is the regional leader in development, construction and management of modern shopping destinations and business centers. The company secured the leadership role through quality portfolio, excellent location of its facilities, long-term expertise, the most widespread network which has more than 70 companies in its business facilities and over 310 retail brands in its shopping centers and numerous awards and certificates that confirm the application of the highest global standard in the MPC business model.

contributes to a healthier future for everyone. Our policy of business management puts the health and safety of employees, users and visitors of our buildings in first place. Therefore, it is extremely important to us that the quality of our buildings and the safety of staying in them, as well as the comfort they provide, are at the highest possible level, said Jovana Cvetkovic, Head of Development, Technical Operations and Innovation Department at MPC Properties.

(Jovana Cvetkovic)

As a company responsible for the management of 12 business and retail building in the city of Belgrade, in September 2022 MPC Properties decided to turn off facade lighting on its buildings during the night, including all signs and other advertising media in order to support Serbia`s green agenda and help reduce the electricity consumption in the last quarter of 2022.

The lighting on the shopping centers USCE Shopping Center BEO Shopping Center, Delta City, Mercator Center and IMMO Outlet Center is turned off at 22:30 h, half an hour after closing and the lighting on the business centers USCE Tower One, USCE Tower Two, Navigator Business Center 1, Navigator Business Center 2, Plaza Prima and TLD Belgrade is turned off at 20 h.

- We decided to take this step because our opinion is that our market leader position means we should support the economy and care about the community in this challenging time. Also, as a part of our green agenda implementation we did and continue to develop a number of projects with the goal to integrate the best sustainability practices into our business operations and to promote smart solutions which contribute to the wellbeing of the entire community, Jovana pointed out.

The green projects are the example of implementing innovative solutions in a scaled up circular economy on a micro level in a building and closed-loop sustainable solutions on a level of a facility with the goal of realizing projects in accordance with the Sofia Declaration on the Green Agenda.

There is a solar power plant now with an area of 400 m2 with a capacity of 50 kW on the roof of USCE Shopping Center. The produced solar energy is used for electric vehicles charging in the USCE SC garage. The installation of the additional solar panels on the USCE SC roof as well as on the roofs of other shopping centers in the company`s portfolio is planned.

The total power of the solar plants to be installed on the roofs of MPC Properties shopping centers is 3,353 KW and their yearly electricity production should be around 3,900 MWh. That power is enough to provide electricity for 900 households and if we take into account that an average households has 2.5 members we can conclude that solar power plants on the roofs of MPC Properties shopping centers can supply an area with 2,250 residents.

MPC Properties promotes alternative models of transport too, and supports the use of eco vehicles. Through its network of buildings they provide adequate parking stations with chargers to drivers of electric cars, bicycles and scooters, while also enabling comfort and infrastructure to those users .

There are total of 400 bicycle parking lots in the entire MPC Properties network of commercial buildings which promote alternative models of transport and their contribution to clean air and healthy lifestyle. MPC facilities also have 46 electric car charging points and USCE Shopping Center is the first shopping center in the Balkans with the BIKEEP parking station for electric bicycles and scooters. These types of station will also be installed in other shopping centers and business buildings in MPC Properties portfolio.

The company is paying special attention to recycling and it recycles 312 t of cardboard and 12 t of glass every year. Additionally, 480 m3 of organic matter is being transformed into a valuable fertilizer further used through the company portfolio and now, the company is initiating composting process in the USCE business complex and planning to procure food compost machine for food waste with a capacity of up to 274 kg/day in order to reduce the need for chemical, non-organic fertilizers. This process helps reduce CO2 emissions and by eliminating transport of waste to landfills it also reduces the amount of waste on the spot and promotes urban landscaping in the community and education on the subject of circular economy.

Sustainable green roof gardens within MPC Properties assets provide a healthy surrounding while contributing to the cleaner air, support biodiversity and a healthier ecosystem. There is a green roof on Navigator Business Center One and on the USCE Shopping Center rooftop, the placement of around 800 m2 green roof is planned with urban fruit and vegetable garden which will be irrigated with rainwater.

At the same time as green roofs, beehives were installed on the roofs of MPC Properties facilities. Namely, there are 12 beehives on the rooftops of USCE Shopping Center and Navigator Business Center 2 and in the garden of USCE Towers business complex. Bees are one of the most vital members of our ecosystem, responsible for pollinating plants that make a significant portion of our food supply and help control erosion, provide animal habitat, and increase oxygen while mitigating carbon dioxide. The urban beekeeping project of MPC Properties is realized in association with MAD MED Association and the Belgrade Beekeepers Association.