Aldermanbury Square is a purpose built multi-storey office building with two small ancillary retail units.
Project Details
- Scheme & Version: In-Use International 2015 Parts: 1 & 2
- Location: London
- Size: 25,634m2 (276,225 ft2)
- Certificate Number: BIU00000624-1.0
- Asset Performance: 58.4% Very Good
- Building Management: 72.2% Excellent
The above information is for the original certification of this project, please reference GreenBookLive for current details
Project Team
- Owner: Deka Immobilien GmbH
- BREEAM In-Use Assessor : Jordan Kirrane, Senior Consultant, RPS Health, Safety and Environment
- Building Manager: Ray Brooksbank, Savills
- Operations Director: Sara Gough, Savills
About the Project
The building is situated within the walls of the City of London with Aldermanbury Square to the east, London Wall to the north and Wood Street to the west. Completed in 2007 the building replaced Royex House which had occupied the site since 1962. There are eighteen upper floors plus two basements and plant accommodation on the roof. The net internal area is 25,634m2 (276,225 ft2). There are multiple tenants in the building and the property is part of Deka Immobilien Europa, an open-ended property fund operated by Deka Immobilien Investment GmbH. The fund has a current total of 154 properties with a value of £9,464 million of which 9 (£ 1,727 million) are located in the UK.
“Savills’ Commercial Property Management Division takes a considered and structured approach to managing its environmental impacts. Savills believe that genuine progress can be made through a targeted programme of incremental improvements within each managed property’s operations and activities. The BREEAM In-Use assessment at 5 Aldermanbury Square helped support this program, and provided ourselves and our client with a consistent, recognised, international standard, for which we could benchmark against.” Lizzie Batchelor, Sustainability Manager for managing agents Savills
Why did this building undergo BREEAM In-Use Certification?
From the outset Deka Immobilien stated their ambition to present their portfolio of properties in London as trophy assets that achieve various accreditations to emphasise the company’s commitment to sustainability. It was agreed during various meetings between Savills and Deka Immobilien which followed the purchase of a new asset that the most suitable way to validate the environmental obligations of the premises would be with BREEAM In-Use certification.
“Certification of 5 Aldermanbury Square is part of a systematic implementation of our corporate environmental policy. Deka Immobilien invests in top quality buildings with the world’s leading companies as tenants, and these companies want their employees to thrive in their workplace. They also want their clients and investors to know that they operate in an environmentally responsible way. Deka’s Immobilien’s own investors respond very positively to our environmental initiatives and certification. This is a win-win situation for all concerned.” Donal Campbell, DEKA Immobilien GMBH
Green Strategy and Environmental Features
The property has a strong waste strategy and an excellent provision for recycling, allowing sufficient space for more than four waste streams. The asset, therefore, scored full marks within the waste section.
A well lit, secure, cycle rack has been provided for staff, with associated changing and showering facilities. In addition, the site is within 500m of London tube and bus services, and there were several local amenities close to the site. The asset also contains features that protect the building from pedestrian and vehicular traffic; 5 Aldermanbury Square, therefore, scored high (85%) within the Transport section. Likewise, the asset scored well within the Material section (79%) for several aspects including adaptability floor plates within the design and for having a robust maintenance and security policy.
Future Plans
Since the assessment, RPS have completed a further energy audit and have a number of initiatives to be incorporated in future service charge budgets. These include, installation of timers on the external water feature, LED lighting to lift lobby areas, installation of slow starter inverters on the booster pumps, power factor correction, reduction in LTHW temperatures, PIR in basement corridors and scheduling of car park extract fans. RPS have also started to implement ISO14001 certified EMS (Environment Management System), due to complete in April 2015. Now that the assessment process has been finalised, the full benefits of the exercise have begun to be noticeable; as the site team have extended knowledge of the building plant and lighting equipment. The team also now have a greater awareness of both good and bad environmental practices.
BREEAM In-Use Assessors RPS are reviewing with Deka Immobilien any further assets in their portfolio and the potential to benefit from BREEAM In-Use.