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Carbon neutral fit-outs are within everyone's reach

25/1/2010

William Poole-Wilson, partner with architect Pringle Brandon, explains how.

The UK spends around £6.5 billion annually on office fit-out projects; about 10 per cent of the entire construction industry spend. Property owners and occupiers have been under increasing pressure to improve the sustainability of existing stock at a time when, thanks to the uncertain economic outlook, fit-out, as opposed to taking up new premises, has become more popular.

One might think that starting a building from scratch is the easier way to achieve a sustainable building lifecycle, with refurbishment at a distinct disadvantage. But not if you take the right approach and you're committed from the outset.

In 2009, Pringle Brandon completed a carbon-neutral fit-out at 201 Bishopsgate, HQ of asset managers Henderson Global Investors (HGI). A sustainable working environment was a stipulation in the brief, and not only did we meet the HGI's carbon footprint target, we reduced it by a further 26 per cent - as well as reducing the company's overheads and creating the very smart end product that reflects Henderson's work ethos. How? By questioning every aspect of the project, from brief to snagging, with the credo: can we improve sustainability here?

The seven-point approach

In fact, we think there's a seven-point approach that really helps to deliver a carbon-neutral fit-out and provides checkpoints along the way:

1. Be clear about your company's existing working patterns and ambitions for the future - this is vital in planning space which is adaptable enough to last
2. Think about sustainability at the initial brief stage, and don't stop until snagging is complete
3. Set a carbon footprint target - it makes your reduction commitment meaningful and measurable, and it's a great motivator. Visit the Carbon Trust website to calculate your current footprint
4. Find local suppliers and those that will offset their carbon use
5. Look at every detail and make energy-saving reductions as effective as possible
6. But, give your greatest focus to the areas where the impact will be greatest
7. Be creative - an inspiring workplace will create inspired work.

How it worked for the Henderson fit-out 

It was precisely this approach that exceeded Henderson's goals and landed the project the British Council for Offices (BCO) Award for Best Workplace Fit Out. We used the briefing stage to plan effectively.

• We created a flexible layout over the company's four floors - a total of 125,000 sq ft - to minimise the need for more materials, works and cost as the 900-strong headquarters evolves
• We sourced workstations and seating produced within 100 miles of the office and partnered with a supplier that agreed to offset its emissions
• We focused on space planning, especially around the window areas, to make the most of natural light and minimise electric lights
• Where lighting was needed, we specified energy-efficient, glare-free fluorescent luminaires rather than standard lights, made them ‘daylight-linked' and controlled by presence detection
• We ensured the timber finishes that visually link all the areas were FSC-approved
• We completely banned individual wastepaper baskets. Instead we sourced categorised recycling units that were sited communally and blended with the furniture system.

Future-proofing was integral to the design. There's little point in applying sustainability concepts that then have to be reworked in a few years' time when the client's needs change. So at 201 Bishopsgate, layouts can readily be rearranged with the incorporation of modular partition systems coordinated with the ceiling grid; workstations are height-adjustable and self-supported for easy team reconfiguration, and modular store-walls allow storage while retaining that crucial flexibility.

To inspire communication and team working, we included partition systems, with clear double-glazed fronts and double-glazed back-painted cross walls, which function as whiteboards.

We also created a theatre-style presentation room with 16 possible permutations, achieved through a combination of fabric panelled folding walls, pivoting veneered doors, and an innovative, glazed vertically-folding wall with privacy glass. The technology and design involved in the Skyfold glazed wall is the first of its kind worldwide. Audio-visual capability for 120 people was discretely designed into a veneered media wall including a rear projection screen and an additional plasma screen.

The fit-out wasn't just a success in terms of carbon neutrality, it cut Henderson's annual accommodation costs by 25 per cent. There's a clear opportunity here to ensure that the £6.5 billion we're spending in the UK on office fit-outs is spent rather more wisely.

Fortunately there's more help than ever available

Every project aiming to achieve low or zero carbon emissions needs to take on board advice and guidance from the following:

• RIBA sustainability advice
• Building Regulations Part L 2006
• EU Directive 2002/91/EC and the article 7/10 advisory group
• The Carbon Trust's Low Carbon Building Design Advice Service
• BRE Green Guide to Specifications
• WRAP - recycled content during procurement
• BRE SMARTWaste system
• Forest Stewardship Council
• The new Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Ska Rating. It's a new environmental assessment scheme focusing entirely on fit-outs. It comprises 99 good practice measures covering energy and CO2 emissions, waste, water, pollution, transport, materials and wellbeing. Depending on the number and significance of measures achieved by a fit-out project, it can be awarded a gold, silver or bronze rating.

In conclusion

A carbon-neutral fit-out can be achieved, and what's more by seeking out the right guidance and applying the seven-point approach, it won't blow your budget or shatter your schedule.

Sources and links

www.architecture.com for the RIBA website.

www.carbontrust.co.uk to calculate your carbon footprint and find advice.

www.bre.co.uk/greenguide for the Green Guide to Specification

www.smartwaste.co.uk for the SMARTWaste plan to reduce construction waste.

www.wrap.org.uk for help and advice on minimising construction waste.

www.fsc.org for the Forest Stewardship Council website. 

www.pringle-brandon.co.uk for architect Pringle Brandon.

www.skyfold.com to find out more about vertically folding glazing.