Sustainable Solutions December 2008

CASE STUDY
How a green fit-out need
not be a business washout
There is a general misconception that company offices can only be truly
eco-friendly if they occupy a new build. Fit-out specialist, Morgan Lovell, has
proved this is not true. Geraldine Faulkner reports.
I
T IS very easy to walk straight past the architect, a project manager, and M&E are zoned across the ofﬁ ce ﬂ oors while sensors
Morgan Lovell’s headquarters at 16 consultant, all separately and this diffuses deploy lighting in zones only where people
Noel Street in London’s Soho. Large responsibility. By hiring Morgan Lovell you get are working. Lights adjust automatically to the
open fronted windows adorned with everything in one package and means that we are natural conditions so less artiﬁ cial light is needed
sculptures do not suggest the headquarters of an on the project right from the beginning. Also by and a heat recovery system ensures that heat
ofﬁ ce interior design, ﬁ t out, refurbishment and carrying more responsibility, it means we can be rejected in areas being cooled is used to warm
relocation specialist. It is only when the visitor more helpful and inﬂ uential.” other parts of the building as required.
‘runs out’ of Noel Street and turns back again So how did this approach work with the What is the payback of such systems?
that the company name can be clearly seen on company’s own ﬁ t out? “For us, it works out at between 11% and
the door. Sheepishly, you enter what ranks as one “We treated our MD as the client,” says 18% per annum,” replies Conaway. “We expect
of the greenest ofﬁ ces in the UK. the sustainability manager. “Meetings were the systems to have paid for themselves within
From the mat made from recycled tyres by held where we established the key points of ﬁ ve years.”
the front entrance to the re-used and refurbished our vision. These had to be agreed before we Using their headquarters as a test-bed and
reception desk to the LED energy saving could start work in earnest and included things trialling various systems has resulted in one of
lighting, it is clear that this company means such as the project had to act as a showcase for many glittering prize; including a rating of 76%
green business. the company’s work in sustainable design; we in its BREEAM assessment which qualiﬁ es
So what? You might think. As ofﬁ ce wanted to be cost effective and we were aiming as a much sought-after ‘Excellent’ rating. This
interior design specialists, it’s their job to ﬁ t for a better environment for the staff. There were stands for the Building Research Establishment’s
out and refurbish commercial spaces. seven to eight key points in all. Once these had Environmental Assessment and is the ‘crème
Ah, but here’s the rub. been agreed with the ‘client’, there followed an de la crème’ in terms of environmental building
No 16 Noel Street is not a new build; it is in-depth cost-beneﬁ t analysis and then work on assessments in the UK. Only two ﬁ t outs in the
spread across two ﬂ oors of a 1960s, seven-storey, the building could begin.” country have achieved the BREEAM Excellent
multi-tenanted ofﬁ ce block - the type of building The ﬁ t-out started in March 2007 and ﬁ nished rating and 16 Noel Street is one of them.
that the company says would normally be a mere four months later in July 2007. “Obtaining a BREEAM Excellent rating was
considered an “environmental write-off”. “Yes, it was quick,” agrees Conaway. “This a difﬁ cult task because of the age and fabric of
How did the ‘greening’ of such an is thanks to the design and build process; the building,” says Conaway.
unprepossessing building get off the ground? it makes everything go quicker and works And having achieved such an accolade, is
“Four to ﬁ ve years ago, we realised Noel out at around 15% cheaper; a fact that has the company happy to sit back and rest on its
Street was not reﬂ ective of what we did,” been corroborated by the Royal Institute of green laurels?
recalls Lara Conaway, sustainability manager Chartered Surveyors (RICS).” Not a bit of it.
with Morgan Lovell. “Sustainability was an It makes the ﬁ t out sound so easy. No 16 Noel Street sees itself as is a ‘living’
issue that was starting to make its appearance “There were some tears along the way,” case study and continues to be used as a test bed
on the business agenda and we saw the need to admits Conaway before giving the example to trial new products.
refurbish our ofﬁ ces as a business opportunity to of how the landlord showed no interest in the “With over 700 visitors to the ofﬁ ce
reﬂ ect our own vision.” ‘greening’ of the building. With ﬁ ve years’ through a seminar programme in 2008 alone,
Undaunted by the challenges of ‘greening up’ tenancy left to run on the lease, this meant its an opportunity to give real case examples
a 1960s building, the ﬁ t out specialist decided it was not worth Morgan Lovell’s while to of different energy saving products, show
to tackle the issue head-on and pool its own in- invest in expensive microgeneration projects leading edge energy tracker software and how
house experts to create a sustainable ofﬁ ce under such as wind turbines, solar panels or a to use wireless sub-metering for live data
a ﬁ t out project. ground source heat pump. collection.” says the sustainability manager.
“We have a slightly different approach “The payback is too high on systems like “We also have to be careful as to the products
to other ﬁ t out specialists to the projects we that and we had to be realistic,” points out the we source as some suppliers’ operations are
undertake,” explains Conaway. “We offer our sustainability manager. too small and cannot guarantee delivery; we
clients design and build contracts. This is a Instead of generating its own power, the need to get products in time.”
different procurement route to the traditional company buys all its energy from the Green Examples of innovative products are
way of undertaking work where the client hires Energy Company. Lighting, heating and cooling everywhere. The white paint on the walls of the
22 SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS December/January 2009
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