Redrow Achieves BREEAM Domestic Refurbishment Certification on Iconic Barbican Blake Tower Residences
BREEAM is delighted to announce that Redrow, the quality volume housebuilder, has achieved BREEAM Domestic Refurbishment ‘Very Good’ certification at post-refurbishment stage for the redevelopment of the 17-storey Blake Tower at the iconic Barbican in central London.
Matthew Oates, Technical Director at Redrow East London, says: “It is fantastic to receive a ‘Very good’ BREEAM rating for Blake Tower. At Redrow we place a premium on building sustainably, and careful attention went into the design and delivery of the newly refurbished Grade II listed building.”
The conversion into 74 homes of the Grade 2 listed Blake Tower, built between 1965-1973, posed significant challenges to the housebuilder. Its listed status meant Redrow had to retain the existing external structure of the former YMCA hostel while upgrading the internal specification to meet 21st century levels of expectation in comfort, well-being and performance.
Notably, significant improvements were made to the acoustic levels, thermal performance and water efficiency. The final SAP score achieved was an improvement of 17%, the installation of water efficient fittings has resulted in a predicted use of 118 litres per person, per day, which is significantly below the average use of 142 litres.
Gwyn Roberts, Homes and Communities Lead at BRE, said, “The re-use of an existing building is always inherently more sustainable than a new construction. Added to that Redrow’s sensitive refurbishment of the architecturally significant Blake Tower demonstrates how enhanced sustainability attributes are achievable for the benefit of the residents.”