First BREEAM ‘outstanding’ in London

• New PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP building ‘raises the bar’ for sustainable office design
• Energy performance provides a 70% improvement on building regulations with an EPC ‘A’ rating
• 25% of energy will be produced on site

The new building for professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP at More London, near Tower Bridge in central London is the first building in the capital, and the first major office in the UK, to be awarded the BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating.

The international BREEAM standard is the highest award for best practice in sustainable design and environmental performance for buildings. To achieve the rating, the site at 7 More London had to meet or exceed a challenging score of 85% against strict criteria, and included environmental innovations such as the use of 80% recycled aggregate within the concrete used, and the recycling of waste heat to cool and warm the building.

PwC’s vision for the 48,000m2 office – equivalent to the size of four football pitches – on the south bank of the Thames in London, close to City Hall, was to ‘raise the bar’ for the sustainable design of office buildings. Aggregates used in the office build were from predominantly recycled sources, part of a strategy to integrate sustainable products and materials throughout the site, delivering both affordable and sustainable environmentally friendly features to the building.

Demonstrating the firm’s reputation for integrating sustainability into business strategy, the firm worked with interdisciplinary design consultancy BDP, to meet and then exceed the BREEAM standards.

Roger Reeves, partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP said:
“We had the opportunity with the design process for the building, to take a blank sheet of paper and raise the bar, both for ourselves and others, in the environmental and sustainability performance of office buildings. This assessment sends a really clear message that planning for the sustainable use of resources, in detail and right through the process, can make good business sense."

Bob Spittle, chairman of environmental engineering at BDP said:
“This major achievement emerged from the sheer determination of PwC to set a new standard in office design.  Initially we were aiming for the BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, however during the fit out design we could see the opportunity to lead and innovate, and we set ourselves the target to secure the BREEAM ‘Outstanding' rating. You have got to be determined to set and achieve these new standards; involve people early on and make sure the support of your developer, contractors and design team matches the vision of your clients.”

The building’s shell is now complete, and is currently being fitted out internally. It is due for full occupation in early 2011. 5500 people will be based in the ten storey building, which will feature four restaurants, 240 cycle spaces, a roof terrace, on site energy generation facilities using recycled cooking oil and the use of solar thermal panels.

Acknowledgements

Developer / ‘shell & core’ team
 More London Development; Foster & Partners (Architect); Roger Preston & Partners (M&E); Arup (Structures); Mace (Contractor)

Tenant / fit out team 
PricewaterhouseCoopers; BDP (Interior Design; Environmental Engineering; Sustainability; Lighting, Acoustics, Structures); Turner & Townsend (Project & Cost Management); Overbury (Contractor)