The new Bloomberg HQ building in London, which is due to open in late October 2017, has been awarded an ‘Outstanding’ rating by BREEAM. Scoring 98.5% against the BREEAM sustainability assessment, the new HQ set a world record for an office building at the design stage.

From the start, the developers and owner agreed that the building should have the highest standards of sustainability while also exciting and inspiring the people that work there.

According to an article on the Construction Enquirer website, the impressive design delivers a 73% saving in water consumption and a 35% saving in energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions in comparison to an average office building.

Vast energy savings are made throughout the building through the use of recycled water, natural ventilation systems, combined lighting/heating ceiling units, and innovative power. The ways in which the building has been designed to adapt to occupancy patterns, utilise waste products and respond to its external environment are all completely original.

Some of the key areas of innovation that have helped make this an exceptionally sustainable professional working environment include:

  • Smart airflow: air is distributed according to the approximate number of people working in each area of the building at any one given time.
  • Natural ventilation: ambient weather conditions allow for the ‘bronze blades’ on the exterior of the building to open and close, allowing for natural ventilation.
  • Combined heat and power: the on-site heat and power generation centre supplies both the heat and power in one, single, efficient system with reduced carbon emissions.
  • Integrated ceiling panels: combining heating, cooling, lighting and acoustic functions, the bespoke integrated panels use 40% less energy than a standard office lighting system.
  • Water conservation: all rainwater from the roof, grey-water sources (such as showers) and cooling tower blow-off water is collected, treated and recycled to serve the vacuum flush toilets.

Of course, not every business is in a position to commission a brand new office building. But in our experience, smaller organisations can still benefit from the sustainability ideas and innovations employed by developments such as Bloomberg’s.

To discuss how an office refurbishment can deliver energy savings and other valuable benefits, please get in touch.