DIMAND’s role as leader in sustainable development has been acknowledged most recently by the visit of the Vice President – Strategic Relations of the U.S. Green Building Council, Mr. Marc Heisterkamp, who wanted to get to know the company that managed to achieve the first LEED certification in Greece and since then has been responsible for a continuous number of registered and certified projects.

Mr. Heisterkamp was keen to discuss the development of the green building movement in Greece in general and the difficulties DIMAND has encountered and faces on a day-to-day basis, when implementing sustainable design and construction strategies. He was happy to see how well DIMAND has been acquainted with the LEED rating systems and how much knowledge DIMAND holds regarding other partner certification programs. Other certifications that were discussed in more detail during the meeting include SITES, PARKSMART and WELL, which might be relevant for further projects of DIMAND.

Mr. Heisterkamp congratulated DIMAND on their leadership in transforming the Greek real estate market. He especially pointed out, that in other countries the first LEED projects mostly were undertaken by American companies, who build abroad, which makes it a lot easier for them, as they already know the certification procedure from the beginning of the design of a project.

Mr. Heisterkamp pointed out that the USGBC has just announced the opening of its first European offices, which will make the whole certification procedure easier in the future. With regional offices in different areas of the world, the USGBC hopes to overcome the image of an “American” certification system especially as it has been adapted already in over 170 countries worldwide. He further pointed out, that he will be happy to cooperate with DIMAND in order to help implementing sustainable projects in the future.

Mr. Marc Heisterkamp, was accompanied by Mr. Jason Hercules, Manager of USGBC, LEED Location and Transportation Specialist.