JLL launches the Centre of Excellence for Sustainability in Commercial Real Estate in Montréal

Québec, June 16, 2022 — JLL Canada, a leading professional services firm that specializes in real estate and investment management, is proud to announce the launch of the Centre of Excellence for Sustainability in Commercial Real Estate. This news is an important milestone in achieving its environmental goals, advancing best practices in sustainability, and inspiring the entire industry.

JLL Canada is committed to establishing the framework, partnerships and expertise necessary for R&D in sustainable innovations and to investing the required sums, with the ambition of maximizing the benefits for Montréal and Québec.

As a strategic ally in this launch, Ivanhoé Cambridge will look to invest in the outgoing technologies that will be generated by this initiative.

This long-term commitment will allow for the promotion of local talent and an enlightened vision on the future of sustainable development in commercial real estate.

“At JLL, we are committed to world-class environmental, social and governance performance. We have big ambitions, especially when you recognize that real estate is responsible for 40% of global CO2 emissions. We must do more, do better and accelerate discovery and adoption of the best solutions for application here in Canada, and everywhere on the planet,” said Alan MacKenzie, CEO of JLL Canada. 

The Centre aims to speed up the adoption of new processes, technologies, research ideas and projects to be used in the retail, industrial, office and multi-family segments of the commercial real estate sector in collaboration with university research teams. The Centre of Excellence operations will act as a pipeline to fast-track development of new research, ideas, startups and scale-ups, always directing its efforts towards the ambitious net-zero carbon objective for 2040. With the Centre of Excellence, JLL anticipates an enormous economic impact, locally, nationally, and even worldwide. As it ramps up its activities, the Centre will be fully operational by January 2023. 

“Innovation is an essential ingredient for our industry to succeed in transitioning real estate to a lower-carbon future. Ivanhoé Cambridge is proud to be partnering with JLL in the launch of this unprecedented Centre of Excellence for Sustainability, a subject at the heart of our vision for the future,” said Stéphane Villemain, Vice-President, Corporate Social Responsibility at Ivanhoé Cambridge 

As JLL's footprint is growing in Québec, the choice of Montréal as a hub for the creation of this R&D Centre is evident due to the company's desire to firmly root itself in the province. Combined with the valuable collaboration with Ivanhoé Cambridge, the fact that Montréal has one of the cleanest electricity grids in the world, a strong and growing CleanTech ecosystem and world-class academic researchers with whom the Centre will partner confirms Montréal’s attractiveness. 

“As reducing greenhouse gas emissions has become a top priority for citizens and businesses around the world, Greater Montréal’s expertise is being recognized. The arrival of the ISSB (International Sustainability Standards Board) along with JLL’s Centre of Excellence for Sustainability in Commercial Real Estate are two examples of that. Along with Ivanhoé Cambridge, we are proud to support such projects that enhance the local sustainable development ecosystem and the decarbonization of our buildings”, said Stéphane Paquet, President and CEO of Montréal International. 

A net-zero carbon industry by 2040 

Through the Centre of Excellence for Sustainability in Real Estate, JLL and its allies aim to be pioneers and accelerate the industry's transition to net-zero carbon by 2040. To do so, the Centre will pursue scientific research and experimental development to identify, test and disseminate knowledge and best practices while also supporting the development of new technologies. 

In the wake of this inauguration, JLL announced the appointment of Hugues Delmaire and John Cigana, co-directors of the Centre of Excellence for Sustainability in Real Estate, two leaders with remarkable backgrounds, to direct the ambitious destiny, develop partnerships and ensure the success of this major project. 

“Sustainability in commercial real estate is a global challenge that will only be solved through innovation and collaboration, no one can go at it alone. The aim of the Centre of Excellence is to foster that collaboration around innovative technologies and processes in order to shape the future of real estate for a sustainable world,” said Hugues Delmaire, co-lead of the Centre of Excellence for Sustainability.  

“Innovation is part of the DNA of Quebecers. The Centre of Excellence will combine global expertise with local know-how and talent to change the world… one building at a time,” said John Cigana, co-lead of the Centre of Excellence for Sustainability.