In May 2015, Aareal Bank finalised a € 120 million portfolio finance transaction for three office buildings. The Emilio Vargas 4 and Rosario Pino buildings underwent core refurbishment. While still in the project development stage, they obtained preliminary LEED Platinum certification ‐ the highest category that can be awarded.
The LEED model, which originated in the United States, is an internationally recognised certification system; the acronym stands for "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design". The approach has been setting global standards for the development and planning of "green buildings" ‒ i.e. buildings that are extremely ecologically efficient ‒ for more than 10 years.
At the end of July 2016, the third building ‒ Emilio Vargas 6, which has a gross floor area of 23,600 m² and which is let in full to AXA ‒ also obtained LEED Platinum certification. Scoring 97 out of a maximum possible 110 points in the “Core & Shell*” category, the Emilio Vargas 6 property not only tops the rankings of LEED-certified office buildings in Europe but – at only two points behind the leader – is also number 2 in the world.