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Forte Partners announces that U•Center 3 has achieved the Access4you Design GoldPre-Certification, just one month after construction began. This milestone reflects the company’s ESG commitments and ensures the future built environment meets high accessibility standards for people with diverse mobility, visual, hearing, and cognitive needs, providing certified and detailed accessibility information for all users.
”Achieving theAccess4you Design Gold Pre-Certification just one month after construction began confirms Forte Partners’ commitment to ESG values and to creating inclusive real estate projects”, said Daniela Marinescu, Head of Asset Management at Forte Partners. “ESG today is no longer just about meeting regulations, it’s about making a real impact in the community and building environments where everyone is welcome. This certification strengthens our ESG pillars, which include carbon reduction, smart water use and reuse, waste management, green transportation, biodiversity, and health and wellness.”
U•Center 3 is the first office project in Romania to receive this Design Pre-Certification at Gold level, delivering tangible benefits for future users such as improved experience, enhanced safety and potential cost savings in risk management. It also supports ESG reporting, underscoring Forte Partners’ proactive commitment to social sustainability.
Access4you is an international social impact company recognized by the WELL Building Standard. It is a data-driven system that audits, certifies, and qualifies the accessibility of the built environment in 16 real estate segments for 8+1 groups with accessibility needs. Properties can achieve a Certified, Bronze, Silver, or Gold Certification based on the level of inclusion. The assessed property can be an existing building or a facility still in the design phase.
“An accessibility audit offers a data-driven starting point,” said Balázs Berecz, Founder and CEO of Access4you, wheelchair user since 2005. "Our social mission is to provide credible and detailed data for the building owners, its investors, its tenants, and people with disabilities and encourage property owners to prioritize inclusion."
The certification process was conducted by Tamara Dogariu, the only one from Access4you’s Accredited Partners in Romania who can assess and certify a building in the design phase. In the case of a DesignPre-Certification, the auditor is an architect in continuous contact with the property’s designers. This person regularly inspects the shared plans, evaluates them based on Access4you’s rigorous minimum requirements, and gives recommendations for development. The whole building has to be completely barrier-free, and all public areas and services accessible.
Following the success of U•Center 1 and U•Center 2, both fully leased and certified LEED Platinum and WELL Core at Platinum level, Forte Partners began construction on U•Center 3 in July 2025. The mixed-used evelopment will include a 12,500 sqm office building, 1,700 sqm of retail space and 200 apartments. The buildings will have a mid-rise structure — two basement levels, ground floor, and six floors (the top two being set back) - aligning with the architectural and urban profile of the area.
In line with Forte Partners’ ESG policies and related objectives, the company is ensuring that the buildings it develops are constantly improving in their energy efficiency and carbon footprint. The office component of U•Center 3 will offer a series of new amenities, in addition to the features already present in the first two buildings. These include biophilic design, rainwater reuse for irrigation, weather forecasting for optimized cooling, automated lighting controls based on daylight, and other BMS (Building Management System) modules designed specifically for energy savings. The energy supply will be fully electric, with no gas connection, and the building will comply with nZEB (nearly Zero Energy Building) standards. Heat pumps will be used for an efficient HVAC system, alongside refrigerants with low global warming potential (GWP) and zero ozone depletion potential (ODP0).
