Project Details
- Scheme & Version: International 2010 Bespoke
- Stage: Final
- Location: Beijing, China
- Score & Rating: 47.5% Good
- Certificate Number: BREEAM-0069-9488
Project Team
- Developer/ Client: The Palace Hotel Company
- NSO: BRE Global
- Assessor/ Auditor: AECOM China
About the Project
The Peninsula Beijing completed a spectacular transformation in August 2017, becoming the first all-suite luxury hotel in China. Located in the cultural heart of China, just a short walk from The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and Beijing’s finest shopping and dining, the refashioned hotel was inspired by the imperial architecture of ancient China and blended exquisite Chinese artistry and craftmanship with legendary Peninsula hospitality to set new standards in design, sophistication and comfort. The original façade and roof of the hotel were preserved, which is the tangible part of the heritage of Beijing, and the property become an icon in the capital city. As the first BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit-Out project in China, Peninsula Beijing Hotel has achieved Good level (47.5%) in the Interior Design part. This case study concludes how this scheme helped Beijing Peninsula Hotel become a sustainable luxury hotel.
BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit-Out
BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit-Out scheme allows real-estate investors, developers and owners to assess and reduce the project design and construction impact in refurbishment and fitout scope of work. Through the assessment and certification process, the scheme recognizes and reflects the building performance in Fabric and Structure, Core Service, Local Service or Interior Design.
The construction team adopted BREEAM as the benchmark of building sustainability, to integrate BREEAM in environmental sectors for refurbishment and fit-out scope. BREEAM was used as a guidance and encouragement for designers and stakeholders to take environmental factors into consideration. In the meantime, BREEAM also encourages to establish appropriate management procedures, to monitor the best use of resources.
Benefits of BREEAM
The refurbishment project of Peninsula Beijing is the first BREEAM project of The Palace Hotel Company. The BREEAM assessor guided and assisted the project team to identify key assessment and design factors throughout the whole process, leading the project to its final success.
“Securing the BREEAM certificate is a significant achievement by The Peninsula Beijing’s engineering and operations teams, and it also reaffirms our group’s commitment to sustainability and being an industry leader in these standards. We are delighted that we can incorporate these elements in The Peninsula Hotels Group, which are globally recognised as one of the best luxury hospitality companies in the world.”
– Clement Kwok, HSH Managing Director and CEO
“We are honoured to receive this certification. It is an acknowledgement of our joint efforts in making the newly renovated The Peninsula Beijing an embodiment of sustainable luxury. We will continue to build on the research and use of sustainable materials and learn from this experience to improve on our new projects.”
– Janice Lao, HSH Director, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability
Environmental Categories
Energy savings strategies include energy efficient lights, equipment, escalators and efficient control system. Per analysis, the energy saving percentage of Peninsula Hotel Beijing is 10-15%.
The lighting system is designed to be energy efficient, properly zoned and glare controlled. Thermal comfort has been created through proper fresh air and temperature control. All these are essential parts for a good quality of building environment
Smart end-user devices are installed in every guest room. Users can adjust air-conditioners, lights, TV, music, etc, in 11 pre-set languages, which reduces the amount of paper consumption in the hotel as well. Over 3,000 international and local newspapers and magazines are now delivered to guests via smart devices in 55 languages.
As a refurbishment project, most of the facades, structures and hard landscapes are remained, which minimize the environmental impact. Wallpapers, coatings and paints are all low-VOC and recyclable. Selections of woods are compliant to sustainability and legal requirement.
The construction site was managed in an environmentally conscientious manner in terms of resource use, energy consumption and pollution control. This was achieved by monitoring site energy and water resource used and taking pollution control. In addition, at least 80% of site timber is responsibly sourced and 100% is legally sourced. Proper commissioning was in place after the renovation was completed and a user guide has been provided to ensure the building will operate as designed.
Night light pollution is minimised by proper lighting selection and control system. Noise attenuation was considered both internally and externally, which ensure that new sources of noise from the development do not give rise to the likelihood of complaints from existing noise-sensitive premises and amenity. Noise test results also show the noise is properly controlled.
The hotel is located in the city centre where both subway and buses are available nearby, this makes the building very easy to access by public transportation. Also, digital public transport information is available at the transportation desk for guests’ easy reference
Wastes from construction were properly controlled. Also, there is a dedicated area for sorting of construction wastes for recycle use so as to reduce landfill.
Dual flush toilets are installed to save water. All planting areas rely on manual watering by hotel staff when needed. Irrigation is manually conducted by hotel staff per request.
Conclusions
BREEAM green building scheme is very adaptable. Based on different building types and scope of refurbishment and fit-out, assessment can be conducted to take out the irrelevant factors without hindering overall project standards. Plus, BREEAM assessors and accredited professionals managed by BRE will help the project team in early stages to define key assessment areas and design elements in BREEAM, therefore leading the project to a great success.