This is a landmark building at the heart of the BRE campus, providing 1,350 square metres of office space plus seminar facilities combining high architectural standards with innovations in energy efficient environmental design. The project received a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, achieving the highest score recorded at the time.

We designed the experimental structure to use approximately 30% less energy than current best practice.

The specification, devised as part of the Energy Efficient Office of the Future project, set stringent targets for energy consumption and addressed wider environmental concerns such as recycling.

96% of the material from demolition of the redundant workshops on site was recycled and this was the first UK use of recycled aggregate for concrete superstructure. Other recycled materials included brickwork, screeds, made from recycled power station gypsum and wood block floors recycled from County Hall in London. 

Read the booklet The Environmental Building: A model for the 21st Century for more information on the building design.