Wharf Life Feb 3-Mar 3, 2021 wharf-life.com
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Canary Wharf
10m getting greener
by Martin Gettings
D
id you know Canary Wharf is one of the most certified sustainable urban districts in the UK? We were early adopters of a sustainable certification called BREEAM back in 1998 and have since achieved environmental certification on more than 10million sq ft of office and retail space. We continue to push the boundaries by going well beyond the requirements of legislation. In 2020 we delivered 1.2million sq ft of BREEAM Outstanding space, the highest rating possible, at One And Five Bank Street, making it one of the largest buildings to achieve that ranking of its class in the world. Its Energy Performance Certificate was A-rated, similar to the EPC on your kitchen appliances at home. What’s more, we are now targeting BREEAM Outstanding rated buildings and even public spaces at our new district – Wood Wharf – as well. So why is this certification important? Achieving high levels of environmental certification is a key part of our sustainability strategy, providing a way to measure and communicate our performance and provide very clear instructions to what is expected to be delivered by design and construction teams throughout the development process. BREEAM, which stands for Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method, offers certification of both public spaces and buildings. BREEAM-rated developments are more sustainable places because they follow a very thorough set of criteria that ensures the project actively enhances climate resilience and the wellbeing of people that live and work in them, which is essential. BREEAM helps project teams to stay on track with delivering sustainability under pressure, making sure that agreed targets are safeguarded as the design evolves and construction work gets underway. Sometimes good intentions on the drawing board don’t make it onto site, but BREEAM takes care of that. To achieve certification, each project must adhere to detailed requirements that guide project teams across a range of criteria, namely community engagement, health and wellbeing, energy efficiency, air quality and biodiversity. Reduction of waste, pollution and water use are also key categories in a BREEAM assessment. All are independently checked by experts at the design stage, throughout construction and after the project is completed. This way, the good intentions at design stage make it through to completion. The specifics of certifica-
Square footage of office and retail space certified by BREEAM on the Canary Wharf estate
A BREEAM assessment means experts checking the sustainability of a scheme at the design stage, during construction and after works have been completed
One And Five Bank Street, above, is certified as BREEAM Outstanding and is A-rated on its Energy Performance Certificate
every keeping watch at
stage of development
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Next time you walk past a building on the Wharf, spare a thought for all the hard work that is going into making sure that every square foot of development is as sustainable as it can be Martin Gettings, Canary Wharf Group
tion may vary from project to project because all projects are different, but this robust verification process is the same no matter if you’re building a skyscraper or a single-storey home. Therefore, when a completed building achieves its certification, it is a cause for celebration for the entire development team. So next time you walk past a building site on the Wharf, spare a thought for all the hard work that is going into making sure that every square foot of development is as sustainable as it can be. To get in touch with our team to hear more about our sustainability programme, please email us via sustainability@canarywharf.com
Martin Gettings is group head of sustainability at Canary Wharf Group Go to canarywharf.com or breakingtheplastichabit.co.uk Scan this code for more information on sustainability in Canary Wharf
