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RAISING CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE STANDARDS IN REAL ESTATE Enhancing cleaning, disinfection, and communication is critically important within real estate at a time when health and safety is top of mind by Tom Nightingale
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ONE OF MANULIFE’S GBAC STAR-ACCREDITED PROPERTIES IN MONTREAL: 420 NOTRE-DAME ST. W.
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ttaining and maintaining higher standards of cleanliness and disinfection remains the priority for facility managers. So, too, does communicating those standards. During these challenging times, residents, tenants, visitors, and the general public want visual and certifiable affirmation that landlords and facility operators are taking the required measures to safeguard the health of anyone entering or leaving a building. Prior to COVID-19, much of the cleaning and maintenance happened silent22 / FACILITY CLEANING & MAINTENANCE / FALL 2021
ly. Now, tenants, visitors, and employees increasingly want that work to be quantifiable and certifiable. Facility operators are taking on this duty, and they’re being recognized for the intensification of their cleaning and maintenance through ISSA’s GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation, which has seen vast uptake across Canada and the globe since launching 18 months ago in spring 2020. Everything from commercial real estate to convention centres, theatres, stadia, and airports have pursued and achieved the accreditation.
In the real estate field in Canada, Manulife Investment Management (“Manulife”) has led the way. In February 2021, Manulife became the first Canadian real estate landlord to achieve the accreditation by attaining the certification for seven of its Montreal properties. Its GBAC STAR accredited facilities include office and retail buildings at Centre Manuvie – 2000 Mansfield St., 1001 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West, 2000 Peel St., 420 NotreDame St. West, 465 and 485 McGill St., and 715 Square Victoria St. To say Manulife has a significant presence across Canada would be an understatement: in addition to real estate, the company also has a diverse portfolio in the areas of private markets. Manulife’s real estate portfolio is certainly extensive – it develops and manages commercial real estate for thousands of customers around the globe and totals over 70 million square feet of office, industrial, and retail space and over 6,500 multifamily units across Canada, the U.S., and Asia. Pursuing and achieving GBAC STAR accreditation was a logical step for Manulife. The high standards of these buildings have already been recognized through other notable certifications. On the environmental side, all seven of its GBAC-accredited properties are also BOMA BEST certified, a national green building certification program from Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Canada, aimed at setting realistic standards for the energy and environmental performance of existing buildings. The commitment to environmental sustainability in the group’s real estate prop-
