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The fit-out of St Martin’s Le Grand achieved the first-ever Gold rating under the new Ska Higher Education standard which raises the bar for sustainability best practices.

Supporting the relocation of over 300 ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº staff, the project has transformed 2,200 sq ft of office accommodation into a collaborative, high-quality open-plan workspace. In association with Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), members of the ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Sustainability Team were development partners for SKA HE. This resulted in additional enthusiasm to be the first to secure the highest rating, and a degree of competition with other institutions.

Sustainability features:

• Waste and transportation to site were kept to an absolute minimum:Ìýpackaging had to be reusable and suppliers were encouraged to use innovative delivery and take-back options. Glazed partitions were delivered on a bespoke carrier able to carry eight door frames, instead of four. Pallets, cable drums and paint containers were collected by suppliers while blinds and plumbing came in reusable packaging.
• Minimising plasterboard waste:Ìýreusing offcuts and carefully managing deliveries resulted in a very low wastage rate of 4.3%, well below the Ska benchmark of 15%.
• Most of the existingÌýcarpet was reusedÌýwithin the office; however, worn out carpet and offcuts were collected by the carpet manufacturer as part of their take-back scheme.
• Lights were reused where possible or replaced withÌýnew, energy-efficient LED fittings. For areas below street level careful attention was paid to providing a variety of lighting and reflective surfaces toÌýmimic natural light.
• Sustainable materialsÌýwere prioritised, including those with high-recycled content or environmental product certifications (such as ‘Cradle to Cradle’) and allÌýtimberÌýcame from certified sustainable sources (FSC or PEFC).
• °Õ´ÇÌýoptimiseÌýair qualityÌýduring the fit out, low-VOC paint was used and sensors monitored VOC levels. The building management system has also been enhanced with integrated CO2 sensors, which trigger the release of fresh air at a specific threshold.
• Interior design includedÌýelements of biophiliaÌýwhich promotes the link between humans and nature to improve physical and emotional health. This included ceiling panels inspired by clouds which are also noise-absorbing to mitigate the distractions of the open plan environment.