Greengage were the BREEAM assessor and Accredited Professional for the office refurbishment at 9 Greyfriars Road in Reading, which provided a modern, flexible working space through a full refurbishment, including new full height glazing and building services throughout.
The office development achieved an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating at the design stage. At the post construction stage, however, a number of opportunities were identified by Greengage and the project team that meant an ‘Outstanding’ rating could be targeted. This was achieved with an overall score of 87.6%.
The development was achieving a high rating due to a number of features within the design, which included:
- Full commissioning and site management including compliance with the Considerate Constructors Scheme;
- Good energy performance using passive design measures and air source heat pumps, resulting in a 26% reduction on the targeted building emission rate and an EPC rating of A;
- A new terrace with 33smq of planting specifically selected to increase biodiversity;
- Encouragement of sustainable travel options through the provision of a travel plan, including on site cycle storage facilities;
- Specialist lighting design and modelling to reduce night time light pollution; and
- Recycling or reprocessing of 92% of construction waste.
In order to achieve the ‘Outstanding’ BREEAM rating and upgrade from ‘Excellent’, the project implemented the following additional features:
- A daylighting study was carried out and confirmed the daylighting factor of 4% far exceeded the 2% requirement;
- A thermal comfort analysis was carried out, confirming that thermal comfort levels within the building are in line with CIBSE recommendations;
- The materials used on the project were responsibly sourced and had certification such as BES 6001 and ISO 14001;
- All insulation had a Green Guide rating of A or A+ and was responsibly sourced.
This project demonstrates how effective communication and collaboration between all members of the project team can be used to create a cost effective, sustainable building.
