Westend Shopping Center wins Green Investment of the Year award

The Westend Shopping Center in Budapest has been named the Green Investment of the Year at the Green Awards, organized by Portfolio and Green Cloud. The recognition follows a 10 million euro green transformation program implemented by the Granit Polus Group.

Key achievements of the development include a 38 percent reduction in energy consumption and an 81 percent decrease in CO2 emissions compared to 2019 levels. The complex has increased its share of solar energy in its total consumption to 80 percent. A major component of this upgrade is Budapest’s largest rooftop solar park, covering 6,500 square meters on the Westend parking garage, which generates 1.53 GWh of electricity annually.

To supplement its own production, the center utilizes a long-term direct power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Solar Markt solar park in Szihalmi, providing a total of approximately 17.53 GWh of renewable energy per year. The facility also employs an AI-driven building management system that optimizes heating, cooling, ventilation, and energy supply in real-time based on nearly 300 daily data points. Additionally, the project included the expansion of a 1.5-hectare rooftop garden with native, pollinator-friendly plants.