Over the past years, the concept of green buildings has become increasingly familiar in Vietnam, with numerous new projects adopting international standards such as LEED, EDGE, and LOTUS. However, most certified projects are newly built developments, while the vast stock of existing buildings in operation across urban areas remains largely untouched when it comes to green retrofitting. This represents the most significant gap in Vietnam’s sustainable construction market today.
Achieving an international certification—especially at the highest level—for a building that has been in operation for many years is no small challenge. That is why the CornerStone Building, a Grade A office tower in the heart of Hanoi, attaining LEED Operations and Maintenance: Existing Buildings (LEED O+M) Platinum in August 2025 marks such a significant milestone. Beyond the success of a single project, it signals that the gap in greening existing buildings in Vietnam is gradually being bridged.
CornerStone Building – Long-Term Vision and Enduring Value
Located at 16 Phan Chu Trinh, Hoàn Kiếm District – a prime location in Hanoi – CornerStone Building stands as one of the city’s landmark Grade A office towers. With 14 above-ground floors, 3 basements, and nearly 34,604 m² of leasable space, it has attracted numerous multinational corporations, financial institutions, and technology enterprises.
As a Grade A office building in the heart of Hanoi, CornerStone has long been a highly valuable asset in the market. Yet the owner chose not to stop there. By investing to achieve LEED O+M Platinum – the highest level under the LEED system for buildings in operation for more than a decade – CornerStone demonstrates its long-term vision for asset value, brand reputation, and the ability to maintain a leading position in an increasingly competitive office market.
LEED O+M Platinum – The Global Benchmark for Existing Buildings
Unlike LEED for new constructions, LEED O+M (Operations and Maintenance: Existing Buildings) focuses on evaluating the operational performance of buildings already in use. This requires tangible evidence from operational data, management systems, maintenance policies, and even the real user experience.
With a score of 84/100, CornerStone Building achieved Platinum, the highest level of LEED certification. Key highlights include:
- Energy: 30/35 points – Through optimizing technical systems, the building significantly reduced electricity consumption, saving billions of VND in annual operating costs. For a large-scale asset, this directly enhances operational profitability and safeguards long-term value.
- Indoor Environmental Quality: 20/22 points – International standards in ventilation, lighting, and air quality create a healthier workplace, improving tenant satisfaction and productivity. This is a critical advantage for retaining existing tenants and attracting global corporations with stringent workplace requirements.
- Location & Transportation: 14/14 points – Strong support for public transit and green mobility aligns with ESG criteria of many international tenants, strengthening CornerStone’s competitiveness in the global office market.
Behind these numbers lies the rationale for a bold investment: Platinum is not only the highest tier of an international certification system, but also a strategic investment. It enables CornerStone to sustain its competitive edge in the premium office segment, elevate the investor’s brand reputation, and serve as a pioneering model for greening existing buildings in Vietnam.
The Journey to Platinum – Vilandco as a Trusted Partner
Bringing an existing building to LEED O+M Platinum is a major challenge. It requires not only technical upgrades but also improvements in how the building is operated on a daily basis.
Throughout this journey, Vilandco served as the strategic and technical consultant by:
- Assessing the current MEP systems and operations to identify improvement areas with the greatest impact.
- Recommending green policies such as waste segregation and recycling, sustainable procurement, and chemical-free cleaning practices.
- Standardizing documentation and data in line with LEED international requirements, ensuring transparency for every credit earned.
Thanks to the synergy between the investor’s vision and Vilandco’s international consulting expertise, CornerStone successfully achieved the highest benchmark – LEED O+M Platinum.
From CornerStone to the Green Retrofit Trend
CornerStone Building is more than the achievement of a single Grade A office project—it is proof that sustainability is fully attainable for buildings already in operation. This marks an inevitable trend as international tenants increasingly prioritize green offices, financial institutions place greater weight on ESG criteria, and Vietnam pursues its net-zero emissions target by 2050.
What was once a major gap in the market, CornerStone has now set a new direction: existing buildings going green will no longer be the exception, but the new competitive standard.
Vilandco is proud to have been the consulting partner, delivering solutions that not only meet international standards but are also tailored to Vietnam’s real-world context. This success reinforces a clear message: with the right vision and effective strategies, many more existing buildings can “go green,” paving the way for a more sustainable urban future in Vietnam.