Case study

This is how The Social Hub adds value with BREEAM-certified real estate

June 10, 2025

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Founded on Dutch soil in 2012, and by now a recognized name throughout Europe: The Social Hub. This hybrid hospitality concept welcomes students, tourists, business travelers, and locals alike, offering spaces to stay, work, and connect. As the brand experiences rapid growth, maintaining alignment between ambition and sustainability requirements becomes crucial. To ensure its real estate portfolio contributes meaningful societal value, The Social Hub has partnered with CBRE to achieve its ambitious goals.

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Modern living room with blue sofa, round coffee table, red pouffes, striking red staircase and large window overlooking the city.
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Rooftop swimming pool with panoramic view of Florence, featuring the Duomo dome and Giotto’s Campanile, under a partly cloudy sky.
Modern office space with workstations, lounge area with blue rug, green plant walls, large windows, and people working on laptops.

Adding and returning value

The Social Hub opened its first location in Rotterdam in 2012. Today, it boasts eight locations in the Netherlands and an additional thirteen across Europe. "We were growing rapidly," explains Amber Westerborg, Director of Sustainability & Impact at The Social Hub. "Sustainability requirements were discussed for each new location, but primarily on a project-by-project basis. In other words, we addressed specifications per individual site." This approach shifted in 2016, when The Social Hub established a dedicated sustainability department and adopted a corresponding vision: adding meaningful value.

Amber explains: "From that point forward, the mindset shifted from simply being compliant to proactively adding value. When I joined in 2019, I was tasked with scaling up our sustainability ambitions and increasing their visibility. This involved not only ceasing harmful practices but also actively engaging in positive initiatives. In this way, The Social Hub aims to not only collaborate with the cities in which it operates but also give back to those communities."

Driven by desire, not duty

"Real estate significantly impacts your ecological footprint," Amber explains. "Therefore, as part of our sustainability objectives, all The Social Hub locations must be BREEAM-certified. On a scale of one to five, we aim for a minimum level three: very good." Stephen van der Sluys, Associate Director ESG & Sustainability at CBRE, notes: "This impresses investors, but it's also abundantly clear that the organization is intrinsically motivated. They want to improve; it's ingrained in their DNA."

"The 'very good' certification is typically only mandatory for new construction," Amber clarifies. "However, we want to apply that standard to properties we already occupy (in-use) as well. These cases fall under my responsibility. Frankly, BREEAM was quite new to me, so I was really looking for a knowledge partner to help me accomplish this task. CBRE was the perfect fit."

Familiar Partner, fresh perspective

CBRE has been a long-standing partner of The Social Hub, assisting with aspects such as technical due diligence. In 2021, the collaboration between Amber and Stephen began. "We initiated the process with a scan to determine the status of the various locations," he explains. "In short: what BREEAM score would they achieve at that point in time? The results indicated that the established sustainability goals for BREEAM in-use were attainable." Amber adds, "Throughout the certification process, Stephen supported our case with the assessor and simultaneously advised us on quick wins that helped us meet the criteria. For example, we commissioned a biodiversity analysis and adapted specific strategy documents."

A reliable colleague

The Social Hub can also count on CBRE's support internationally. BREEAM standards vary slightly from country to country. For example, Germany places greater emphasis on locally produced materials with a lower CO₂ footprint, while France has stricter criteria regarding biodiversity. Amber states, "Stephen handled this with local CBRE colleagues. As a result, the certification process went smoothly even abroad."

Honorable recognition

Their BREEAM ambitions also contribute to the B Corp certification The Social Hub recently received. B Corp signifies a "benefit for all" corporation, recognizing commercial businesses with a purpose beyond maximizing profit. "It's about having proper governance and being good to your colleagues, community, suppliers, and the environment," Amber explains. "Before you can bear this name, you have to answer hundreds of questions – including about the quality of your real estate. Having a BREEAM certification helps in that process, and CBRE indirectly assisted with that."

Buildings must be BREEAM-recertified every three years. "We recently recertified our Dutch portfolio, as well as The Social Hub Berlin, Vienna, and Florence Lavagnini, in-use with CBRE," Amber shares. "The great thing about our long-term partnership with CBRE is that we barely need to explain anything anymore. They know our assets in detail and are honest when necessary – for example, if they have doubts about our approach. You can tell that we share the same interests, and as a result, they really feel like colleagues."

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