Arup were appointed as the BREEAM consultants from the beginning to ensure that an ‘Excellent’ rating was achieved. The building has been rated BREEAM Excellent Design Stage, which takes into account the features detailed below:
Energy
- The development achieved an EPC rating of A.
- The building has 38m2 of PV panels at roof level. These are anticipated to produce 5,386kWh/yr of electricity, offsetting 5 tonnes of CO2 per year.
- All office spaces are naturally ventilated.
- A central exhaust system extracts a small quantity of fresh air from each office to avoid stagnation.
- Heating to the building is provided via the local waste-to-heat district heating network.
- The building takes advantage of its thermal mass to help stabilise temperatures and reduce day time peaks.
- Highly efficient glazing and thermal insulation have been used.
- Extensive energy sub-metering, so the building team and occupiers can monitor and proactively manage energy use. Occupiers will be able to view their energy profiles directly.
Transport
Full transport credits achieved for BREEAM.
A Travel Plan has been developed to encourage sustainable travel through information, facilities and incentives.
Cycle storage spaces exceed BREEAM requirements: 76 provided (48 BREEAM compliant), 16 required.
4no. unisex showers with adequate changing space.
Ecology
An ecologist was involved with the project from an early stage of design, reviewing ecological value and opportunities.
The site ecology was enhanced by the installation of bird boxes suitable for nesting for bird present on site, the planting of species that provide sources of pollen, nectar, berries and seeds and by the introduction of the green roof, providing additional wildlife habitat.
Lighting
The design makes use of the narrow building plan to increase daylight levels to internal spaces.
All office lighting is low energy LED.
High frequency ballasts have been installed on all florescent lamps to reduce the risk of flickering.
External lighting control to reduce night time light pollution.
Water
All toilets have an effective flush of three litres or less.
Water metering and leak detection installed to manage consumption and detect leaks.
Proximity detection shut-off system in toilets to prevent wastage when rooms are not in use.
Materials
All construction materials were sourced in line with a sustainable procurement plan.
All timber materials used were FSC certified.
All brick, blockwork and concrete was certified to BES 6001 "Very Good".
All plasterboard was certified to BES 6001 "Very Good".
Waste
90% of demolition waste and 80% of construction waste (non-hazardous, by weight) was diverted from landfill.
Building designed with a long term view on future adaptations and ultimately demolition.
Management
A score of 40/50 for the Considerate Constructors Scheme was achieved, which reflects care about appearance, community, environment, safety and workforce.
Commissioning was carried out in line with current best practice guidelines.
