Thursday 26 October 2017
Bloomberg’s new European headquarters in London is claimed to have been rated the world’s most sustainable office building.
It has achieved an ‘Outstanding’ rating by BREEAM, the body in charge of awarding green credentials, with a 98.5% score – the “highest to have been achieved by any major office development”.
The US media and financial data giant claims the new building will use 73% less water and 35% less energy compared to a typical office building as a result of innovative lighting, water and ventilation systems.
Located between the Bank of England and St Paul’s Cathedral in central London, the new development has been designed by renowned architect Norman Foster.
Integrated ceiling panels throughout the building consist of 500,000 LED lights and bronze blades on the exterior of the building open and close for natural ventilation, which si expected to reduce the use of air conditioning.
Rainwater is also captured, treated and recycled on the roof for vacuum flush toilets, with the building’s water conservation systems expected to save around 25 million litres of every year – enough to fill 10 Olympic swimming pools.
A combined heat and power (CHP) system provides part of the electricity and heat, which is expected to save around 500 to 750 metric tonnes of emissions every year.
Michael R. Bloomberg, Founder of Bloomberg and UN Special Envoy for Climate Change said: “We believe that environmentally-friendly practices are as good for business as they are for the planet.
“From day one, we set out to push the boundaries of sustainable office design – and to create a place that excites and inspires our employees. The two missions went hand-in-hand and I hope we’ve set a new standard for what an office environment can be.”