A building that was built in the 1990s has achieved the highest BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) rating in the UK after being completely refurbished.

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According to blueandgreentomorrow.com, Gavin Dunn, director of BREEAM, commented on PricewaterhouseCoopers’s (PwC) refurbished London HQ.

“The impressive BREEAM score for this iconic building shows just how much can be accomplished,” he said. “The project is a fantastic testament to PwC’s determination to achieve a high rating and to the project’s innovative and highly committed delivery team.”

95% of construction materials were responsibly sourced

Impressively, the building scored 96.31 per cent, which tops the 95.16 per cent achieved by the brand new One Angel Square building in Manchester. One Angel Square, the headquarters for the Co-op, only held the title for a month, theconstructionindex.co.uk reports.

The PwC refurbishment saw the installation of biofuel combined cooling heat and power (CCHP) with absorption chillers, which use biofuel that has been sourced locally and been created by refining waste vegetable oil. In addition, there are also low-flush toilets, an interactive screen which informs visitors on the building’s energy usage and 95 per cent of the construction materials were responsibly sourced.

PwC has recently been striving to lead the way when it comes to green buildings, as in 2010 one of its buildings was awarded the very first BREEAM rating achieved in London.

Author: Laura Varley    Date Written: 07 January 2014