The Hungarian Real Estate Developers Roundtable Association (IFK) is collaborating with the Hungary Green Building Council (HuGBC) and Greenology – Green Innovation Sustainability Knowledge Center, paving the way for faster adoption of sustainable innovations, announced IFK President Ernő Takács.
According to Zsombor Barta, President of HuGBC, real estate developers play a key role in sustainability, as environmentally conscious elements are crucial across the life cycle of buildings. Prof. Dr. Anita Boros, head of the GREENOLOGY Knowledge Center, emphasized that this year their focus is on green innovation in the construction economy.
Ernő Takács underlined that these agreements can accelerate sustainable innovation in real estate development. Such changes bring new challenges for responsible planners and developers. “We are not only talking about the birth of a new sector with new products, technologies, and growth potential, but also about the immense opportunity for collaboration in greening real estate development—a responsibility for today’s developers,” he said.
HuGBC has brought together players in the real estate sector, construction, and the building economy since 2009, contributing to the development of architectural regulations that promote sustainable construction. As a member of the World Green Building Council, it also draws on international experience to bring cutting-edge strategies and practices to Hungary.
IFK strives to ensure that Hungarian real estate developments are carried out based on clear rules, with functionality, aesthetics, and efficiency in mind. This requires transparent and predictable urban planning and permitting regulations, as well as an expansion of CSR activities by member companies, Takács noted.
Barta also pointed out that sustainability-focused elements can be applied as early as the design stage and later during construction, significantly shaping a building’s life cycle. Many major Hungarian developers have already successfully integrated international best practices, with commercial real estate developers often taking the lead by monitoring and adopting market-shaping innovations.
The agreement covers multiple areas of cooperation, including raising public and professional awareness of sustainable built environments, joint advocacy in architectural regulation to ensure sustainability is properly represented, and contributing to the development of supportive legal and economic frameworks for sustainable construction and renovation.
Takács added that the primary mission of the GREENOLOGY Knowledge Center is to support Hungary’s transition toward a green, innovative, and sustainable economy. Green innovation enables the sustainable transformation of major sectors of the national economy.
In the future, IFK and the Knowledge Center will collaborate to support professionals, companies, researchers, educators, and students active in the construction economy, both in theory and in practice. Other areas of cooperation include helping innovative, eco-friendly products enter the market and developing practical tools for applying green innovation solutions.
Prof. Dr. Boros highlighted that the Knowledge Center’s mission is to help all players in the Hungarian economy achieve a sustainable transition, supporting the development of best practices and the market entry of innovative products. She also noted that Hungarian companies are becoming increasingly active in inventing new products and technologies, aiding the shift to a green economy. The demand for practical applications of green innovation spans nearly every sector, from construction to banking. Cooperation with IFK is especially significant, given the key role developers play in green innovation within the construction economy.
She also pointed out that the easing of construction material shortages is bringing positive changes to the domestic construction industry, linked to the local sale of Hungarian-made products and the global price moderation of key raw materials such as wood, plastic, and steel. The falling costs of raw materials are expected to soon be reflected in consumer prices.
To institutionalize their joint work, the Knowledge Center recently established the Green Innovation Construction Economy Roundtable, serving as a professional platform for Hungary’s building economy organizations and associations, with IFK as a member. Its goal is to enable leaders of these organizations to jointly discuss key issues related to green innovation, the green economy, and sustainability in the construction economy.