20 Ropemaker Street scoops design-stage BREEAM ‘Outstanding’

20 Ropemaker Street, the 450,000ft² signature City office scheme for Great Elm Assets Limited has been awarded BREEAM 2018 ‘Outstanding’ at design stage, which recognises a high standard of sustainability and wellbeing for exemplary developments. It is thought to be the largest-ever BREEAM 2018 commercial project to secure the accreditation at design stage.

Appointed by asset manager Old Park Lane Management Ltd and CO–RE as development manager, Make Architects worked with engineer and sustainability lead, Hilson Moran and main contractor, Skanska to achieve 86% in the new 2018 rating system, which covers ten sections of sustainable practices for buildings: Water, Materials, Waste, Land Use/Ecology, Energy, Pollution, Health and Wellbeing, Innovation, Management, and Transport. Ropemaker secured maximum credits in the latter two sections, and wellbeing played a major part in the focus of the accreditation to ensure the building would be a healthy and attractive place to work in the long term.

Robert Lunn, project architect at Make said: “This was a real labour of love and one that can only be achieved with a collaborative team effort. We have looked at everything from best practice commissioning, enhancing transport provisions and energy metering, to an embodied carbon review of the superstructure materials and a reduction strategy that will hopefully be put in place in the construction. There are no shortcuts with an accreditation of this nature, and it really requires buy-in from all members of the design team, but has been driven from the outset by the client. Hopefully by securing ‘Outstanding’ on a scheme of this size, in a dense location on the boundary of Islington and the City of London, we have demonstrated unequivocally that it can be done and hope it will encourage others to follow suit.”

Tim Sketchley, managing director at Old Park Lane Management Ltd, said: “At OPLML, we take a long-term view of our assets, and try to ensure our core values for quality and placemaking are upheld. This translates for sustainability too, to create healthy and environmentally robust working environments, so although the Islington planning requirement was for BREEAM ‘Excellent’ (2014), we wanted to push for ‘Outstanding’, for it to be the best of its kind. It’s the right thing to do, for the environment and for the people who work in the building. We are delighted to have secured the ranking. It is a testament to the hard work of our team and to the standard of development that 20 Ropemaker Street will provide.”

David Ainsworth, chief executive at CO–RE, said: “Our team has doggedly analysed and pursued improving the design from a sustainability and wellbeing perspective, to integrate measures into the design and to continue this through to construction and longer-term building management.”

20 Ropemaker Street has pre-let about 70% of the building to Linklaters, one of the UK’s ‘Magic Circle’ law firms. The team is now on site, with construction expected to complete in 2023.