Sustainable Real Estate Training Course

Duration 10 days 20 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Asset Managers, Property Managers and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-RE-029

Before you join: Participants should have practical familiarity with commercial, residential, industrial or public-sector property assets.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Real estate owners, investors, developers and occupiers face rising pressure to reduce operational carbon, improve asset resilience, meet disclosure requirements and protect value as building standards tighten. Decisions made during acquisition, design, refurbishment and operations determine energy costs, emissions, tenant appeal, financing options and exposure to physical climate risks. Sustainable real estate requires more than selecting efficient equipment; it requires reliable data, financial analysis, credible transition planning and clear governance.

This course equips participants to assess, plan and manage sustainability performance across a real estate portfolio or individual asset. Participants work with whole-life carbon principles, operational energy data, climate-risk assessment, green lease provisions, sustainable finance criteria and performance reporting. They learn to establish asset baselines, identify material improvement measures, compare capital options using life-cycle cost analysis and construct investable decarbonisation pathways. The course also addresses tenant engagement, procurement, circular construction and the evidence needed for investor, lender and board reporting.

Teaching combines concise technical briefings with property cases involving offices, retail centres, logistics facilities, housing and public buildings. Participants apply tools to a continuing asset case, producing a sustainability investment case, asset transition plan and reporting pack. They receive structured feedback through peer review, facilitated decision simulations and presentation sessions. The course is delivered instructor-led over 10 days, from 08:30 to 16:30, in classrooms in more than 50 cities or live online, and includes a certificate of completion.

The course is suited to professionals who already work with property assets, developments, facilities, investments or corporate real estate and need to turn sustainability commitments into property-level decisions and funded actions.

What you will be able to do

  • Assess property sustainability performance using energy, emissions, water, waste and asset-condition data
  • Calculate operational and embodied carbon baselines using ISO 14064-1 and EN 15978 principles
  • Develop asset decarbonisation pathways using CRREM-style carbon budgets and retrofit sequencing
  • Evaluate retrofit options through life-cycle cost analysis, marginal abatement cost curves and payback metrics
  • Prepare climate-risk assessments covering physical hazards, adaptation measures and residual risk
  • Draft green lease clauses and tenant engagement plans linked to measurable operating performance
  • Construct sustainability reporting packs aligned with GRESB evidence requirements and investment governance
  • Present a complete sustainable real estate business case for an asset or portfolio

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Produce credible sustainability investment cases for property committees and investment boards
  • Interpret energy, carbon and climate-risk data without relying solely on technical specialists
  • Prioritise retrofit measures against asset plans, lease events and capital budgets
  • Strengthen capability for ESG-focused asset management and real estate investment roles
  • Present property transition plans with quantified costs, benefits, risks and accountabilities

For your organisation

  • Improved prioritisation of capital expenditure for energy, carbon and resilience measures
  • More consistent sustainability data across assets, developments and operating teams
  • Reduced exposure to energy cost volatility, carbon constraints and obsolescence risk
  • Stronger evidence for investor, lender, tenant and board sustainability reporting
  • Better coordination between asset management, facilities, leasing, finance and development teams

Course modules

20 modules over 10 days

Participants can explain how sustainability performance affects property income, costs, risks and value.

  • Property value drivers affected by energy, carbon, resilience and tenant demand
  • Stranded asset risk linked to regulation, market expectations and operating costs
  • Owner, investor, occupier and lender sustainability objectives compared
  • Materiality assessment separating financial, environmental and stakeholder priorities
  • Asset lifecycle decisions from acquisition through disposal and redevelopment
  • Sustainability governance roles across investment, development and operations teams

Participants can identify the building systems and operational factors driving resource performance.

  • Energy end uses across heating, cooling, lighting, equipment and controls
  • Building fabric performance measured through insulation, glazing and air tightness
  • HVAC efficiency indicators including seasonal performance and part-load operation
  • Metering hierarchies for landlord, tenant, common-area and plant consumption
  • Water balance calculations covering supply, consumption, losses and reuse
  • Waste streams classified by prevention, reuse, recycling and disposal routes

Participants can establish a reliable asset sustainability baseline from available property data.

  • Data quality checks for completeness, consistency, boundary and estimation methods
  • Normalising energy intensity using floor area, occupancy and weather variables
  • Energy use intensity calculated from annual consumption and net area
  • Water intensity benchmarks separated by building type and operating profile
  • Waste diversion rates derived from weighed recycling and disposal records
  • Baseline register documenting sources, assumptions, owners and update cycles

Participants can calculate and document operational greenhouse gas emissions for a property asset.

  • GHG Protocol scopes applied to landlord-controlled and tenant-controlled emissions
  • ISO 14064-1 principles of relevance, completeness, consistency and transparency
  • Location-based and market-based electricity emissions calculated from consumption data
  • Fuel combustion emissions calculated using approved emission factors
  • Refrigerant leakage recorded by equipment type, charge and global warming potential
  • Carbon inventory boundaries documented for ownership structures and shared services

Participants can assess embodied carbon hotspots and circular options for projects and refurbishments.

  • EN 15978 life-cycle modules applied to building carbon assessments
  • Product stage emissions compared across structure, facade and building services
  • Refurbishment versus replacement assessed through retained structure and material quantities
  • Environmental product declarations reviewed for declared unit, scope and validity
  • Design for disassembly principles applied to partitions, finishes and services
  • Material passports specifying provenance, condition, reuse potential and recovery route

Participants can prepare a structured diagnostic identifying an asset's main sustainability gaps and priorities.

  • Asset fact sheet combining age, use, systems, leases and condition
  • Performance gap analysis against internal targets and peer benchmarks
  • Site walk-through observations translated into operational and capital issues
  • Issue register ranked by impact, urgency, feasibility and data confidence
  • Stakeholder map identifying decision rights, dependencies and information needs
  • Diagnostic briefing summarising baseline findings, priorities and immediate actions

Participants can identify and screen technically credible energy and carbon reduction measures.

  • Energy conservation measures grouped by controls, equipment, fabric and generation
  • Retro-commissioning scope for controls, schedules, setpoints and maintenance defects
  • Heat pump feasibility assessed against heating loads and electrical capacity
  • Solar photovoltaic yield estimated from roof area, shading and generation profile
  • Lighting upgrades compared through illuminance, controls, wattage and operating hours
  • Measure interactions considered before combining insulation, HVAC and renewable generation

Participants can evaluate sustainability measures using property investment and whole-life cost methods.

  • Life-cycle cost analysis including capital, energy, maintenance and replacement costs
  • Net present value calculated using cash flows, discount rates and holding periods
  • Simple payback limitations tested against asset strategy and residual value
  • Marginal abatement cost curves rank measures by cost and carbon reduction
  • Sensitivity analysis tests energy prices, incentives, utilisation and discount rates
  • Investment paper recommendations linked to approvals, funding and implementation timing

Participants can build a phased asset decarbonisation pathway aligned to carbon reduction targets.

  • CRREM carbon pathways interpreted for property type, geography and target year
  • Carbon budget allocation across baseline operations, retrofit and renewable measures
  • No-regret actions scheduled before lease events and major capital cycles
  • Retrofit roadmap sequences surveys, design, procurement, installation and verification
  • Electrification dependencies assessed for grid capacity, tariffs and backup systems
  • Transition plan accountabilities assigned to owners, dates, budgets and performance indicators

Participants can assess physical climate risks and specify proportionate asset adaptation actions.

  • Physical climate hazards identified through flood, heat, wind and drought scenarios
  • Exposure, vulnerability and consequence assessed using asset-specific risk matrices
  • Flood resilience measures compare barriers, drainage, raised equipment and recovery plans
  • Heat adaptation measures address shading, ventilation, cooling and occupant safety
  • Business continuity plans define critical systems, response roles and recovery priorities
  • Residual risk statements document accepted exposures and decision rationale

Participants can incorporate water stewardship and ecological considerations into property asset plans.

  • Site ecology baseline records habitats, species, canopy cover and impermeable surfaces
  • Biodiversity enhancement measures include native planting, habitat corridors and green roofs
  • Sustainable drainage systems manage runoff through attenuation, infiltration and treatment
  • Water risk screening considers scarcity, flood exposure, quality and local restrictions
  • Landscape maintenance plans reduce irrigation, chemicals and habitat disturbance
  • Site value plan connects ecological measures with operational responsibilities and budgets

Participants can assess occupant-focused sustainability measures and their operational implications.

  • Indoor environmental quality covers air, thermal comfort, light and acoustics
  • Ventilation performance assessed through outdoor air rates and carbon dioxide readings
  • Occupant surveys capture comfort, accessibility, safety and service satisfaction
  • Universal design considerations address mobility, sensory and neurodiversity needs
  • Social value requirements translated into procurement, employment and community actions
  • Health and wellbeing measures balanced against energy, cost and maintenance impacts

Participants can structure landlord-tenant arrangements that support shared sustainability performance.

  • Green lease clauses define data sharing, operational duties and improvement cooperation
  • Memoranda of understanding used where formal lease amendments remain impractical
  • Tenant fit-out guides set standards for materials, energy and waste
  • Data-sharing protocols specify meters, frequency, confidentiality and quality checks
  • Occupier engagement campaigns target energy behaviours, waste practices and comfort feedback
  • Service charge mechanisms allocate costs and savings transparently between parties

Participants can specify sustainability requirements and evidence within property procurement processes.

  • Procurement specifications set measurable energy, carbon, waste and social requirements
  • Supplier prequalification assesses environmental management, competence and reporting capacity
  • Whole-life value criteria balance price, quality, carbon, durability and maintenance
  • Contractor method statements address pollution prevention, logistics and material segregation
  • Environmental product declarations requested for priority materials and major equipment
  • Performance-based contracts link payment to verified operational outcomes

Participants can connect asset sustainability performance with financing, acquisition and disposal decisions.

  • Green loan criteria linked to eligible projects and performance reporting
  • Sustainability-linked loan indicators tested for relevance, measurability and control
  • Due diligence checklists identify energy, carbon, resilience and compliance exposures
  • Acquisition underwriting includes retrofit allowances, utility costs and transition risk
  • Valuation evidence considers income durability, capex requirements and market liquidity
  • Investment committee papers distinguish assumptions, evidence gaps and decision conditions

Participants can prepare credible real estate sustainability reporting supported by traceable evidence.

  • GRESB evidence requirements mapped to asset data, policies and supporting records
  • KPI dictionary defines metric formula, boundary, source and accountable owner
  • Data audit trails connect reported values with invoices, meters and calculations
  • Material claims reviewed for accuracy, substantiation, scope and potential greenwashing
  • Internal assurance checks test controls, anomalies, restatements and documentation
  • Board reporting combines performance trends, risks, decisions and required actions

Participants can organise portfolio-level governance, targets and investment priorities for sustainability delivery.

  • Portfolio segmentation groups assets by value, emissions, risk and intervention potential
  • Target cascade translates enterprise commitments into asset-specific annual performance goals
  • Capital planning integrates retrofit pathways with lifecycle replacement programmes
  • RACI matrices clarify sustainability responsibilities across owners, managers and suppliers
  • Monthly performance reviews address variances, actions, blockers and accountability
  • Escalation thresholds identify decisions requiring executive or investment committee approval

Participants can manage delivery of sustainability actions and verify resulting property performance.

  • Implementation plans define scope, milestones, dependencies, owners and acceptance criteria
  • Measurement and verification plans establish baselines, meters and adjustment methods
  • International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol options matched to interventions
  • Commissioning records confirm installed systems meet specified operational requirements
  • Post-occupancy evaluation captures energy, comfort, defects and user feedback
  • Corrective action logs track underperformance, root causes and closure evidence

Participants can communicate sustainable real estate decisions to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

  • Decision papers state recommendation, alternatives, costs, risks and approval required
  • Carbon narratives connect technical measures with financial and operational consequences
  • Asset dashboards present trends, targets, exceptions and accountable actions
  • Scenario comparisons distinguish assumptions, uncertainty ranges and decision triggers
  • Board presentations anticipate challenge on value, evidence, timing and delivery risk
  • Tenant communications explain shared actions, expected benefits and practical responsibilities

Participants can build, review and present a complete sustainable asset transition business case.

  • Asset baseline consolidates energy, carbon, water, waste, condition and lease data
  • Material risks cover transition exposure, physical hazards and stakeholder requirements
  • Decarbonisation pathway sequences operational actions, retrofits, electrification and renewable generation
  • Investment appraisal compares capital needs, savings, carbon reductions and sensitivities
  • Implementation plan assigns governance, procurement, milestones, measurement and reporting controls
  • Peer review tests evidence quality, assumptions, feasibility and recommendation clarity

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Property sustainability diagnostic template
  2. Operational carbon baseline model
  3. Asset decarbonisation pathway template
  4. Retrofit life-cycle cost model
  5. Climate-risk assessment register
  6. Sustainable asset transition business case

Who should attend

  • Asset Managers — translate sustainability targets into asset plans and capital priorities
  • Property Managers — improve operational performance through data, maintenance and tenant action
  • Real Estate Investment Managers — assess sustainability risks affecting value, financing and hold strategy
  • Development Managers — embed carbon, resilience and resource efficiency within project decisions
  • Facilities Managers — manage building performance data and operational improvement programmes
  • Corporate Real Estate Managers — align occupied portfolios with corporate climate and workplace commitments

Skills and tools covered

Carbon baseline developmentRetrofit investment appraisalClimate risk assessmentGreen lease draftingESG performance reportingTransition plan design

Tools and standards

GRESB, CRREM, ISO 14064-1, EN 15978

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to establish methods, standards and decision rules, followed by property cases drawn from offices, retail, logistics, housing and public assets. Participants interpret utility records, asset data, lease information, cost estimates and climate scenarios. Group work tests competing retrofit and investment choices through committee-style simulations. Each participant develops material for a continuing asset case, receives facilitated review and converts learning into an application plan relevant to their own portfolio or current role.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have practical familiarity with commercial, residential, industrial or public-sector property assets. Experience in asset management, facilities management, development, investment, valuation, construction, leasing or corporate real estate is expected. Participants should be comfortable reading basic operating budgets, utility data and property reports. Prior training in sustainability, engineering, carbon accounting or environmental management is not required. The course explains relevant technical concepts before applying them, but it is not intended for people with no exposure to property decision-making or building operations.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should understand how property assets are operated, developed, leased, financed or managed. Prior carbon accounting, engineering or sustainability qualifications are not required.

Bring a laptop if possible, as participants work with property data and planning templates. You may also bring non-confidential utility data, asset plans or sustainability targets from your organisation.

It is designed for asset, property, facilities, development, investment and corporate real estate professionals. It also suits sustainability professionals who need stronger property-specific technical and financial understanding.

This course focuses on managing existing assets, investment decisions, portfolio transition plans and operating performance. It does not train participants to administer or assess a particular building certification scheme.

Participants can use the diagnostic, carbon baseline, retrofit appraisal and transition-plan formats on a live asset or portfolio. The capstone structure is designed to support an internal investment or management discussion.

The first part establishes performance data, carbon, building systems and investment fundamentals. The later sessions cover risk, leasing, procurement, reporting and portfolio governance before the final capstone presentation.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.