- New pack adds 19 place-based metrics to Thrive’s proprietary Impact Evaluation Standard, tailored to the realities of real estate
- Launch comes as 76% of property investors consider social value in decision-making but more than half lack a framework to measure it
- Designed to help developers, asset managers and investors build consistent evidence across individual assets and wider portfolios
London, 22nd September: Thrive, the social impact measurement platform, has launched Real Estate Metrics, extending its offering with 19 place-based metrics designed specifically for the real estate sector.
While social value plays a growing role in real estate investment decisions, measurement has struggled to keep pace. According to Knight Frank’s ESG Property Investor Survey, over three quarters (76%) of property investors said they consider social value in decision making, yet 52% lacked a framework to measure the social value of their assets.
At the same time, participation in global ESG benchmarks such as GRESB continues to grow, increasing the focus on consistent, comparable evidence across real estate portfolios.
A new approach to measurement
Real Estate Metrics puts the asset at the centre of measurement, enabling organisations to estimate social value during planning and development and evidence what is delivered once an asset is in use. The approach reflects the way real estate creates social value throughout development and construction, and through the homes, workplaces and community spaces that people use for years afterwards.
The launch builds on Thrive’s existing work across real estate and construction, introducing metrics specifically designed around the lifecycle and reporting needs of real estate assets. Real Estate Metrics adds 19 place-based metrics to Thrive’s proprietary Impact Evaluation Standard (IES), covering areas such as affordable housing, public realm, play spaces, active travel, and health and community facilities. Combined with Thrive’s existing metrics, it supports measurement from planning through to the in-use phase of an asset, helping developers, asset managers and investors build consistent evidence at asset, portfolio and regional levels.
The launch comes amid growing pressure for more credible and comparable evidence of social value. $53 trillion of investor capital leans on one ESG benchmark, GRESB, alone, and its social score is the number nobody can prove. Measuring social value outcomes consistently across assets and portfolios remains a challenge while other frameworks including WELL and BREEAM are also increasing expectations around evidence at asset level.
Meeting real estate needs
Neil Macdonald, CEO and Co-founder at Thrive, said:
“Real estate has made huge strides in measuring environmental performance, but social value has been much harder to evidence with the same consistency and confidence. As investors place greater scrutiny on social impact, organisations need evidence that can stand up alongside their environmental and financial reporting. Real Estate Metrics gives firms a practical way to build that evidence consistently, from individual assets through to entire portfolios.”
Cleo Folkes, Lead Consultant – Real Assets at Thrive, added:
“The lifecycle of a building can span decades, and the outcomes keep compounding. Measurement has to capture the long-term impact an asset has on its community, not just a snapshot on handover day. Delivering that as software rather than consultancy is what makes portfolio-wide coverage possible and affordable for the first time. ”
Real Estate Metrics is available now as an addition to the Impact Evaluation Standard. Developers, planners, fund managers and asset managers can request a portfolio walkthrough at thrive-platform.com/real-estate.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Thrive is a UK social value technology company. Its platform and Impact Evaluation Standard are used by hundreds of organisations across construction, infrastructure, technology, professional services, real estate, and central government. Customers include British Land, HMRC, the Cabinet Office, Kier, Equifax, and AMS. The Impact Evaluation Standard is developed and maintained by an independent steering committee of industry experts, economists, and representatives from special interest groups.
PR contact for press enquiries: thrive@missive.co.uk
Alan Boyce
Senior Researcher More articles by Alan >
