16 Noel Street, Morgan Lovell Headquarters, London, United Kingdom

When Morgan Lovell decided to refurbish its headquarters in London – 16 Noel Street – the office design and fit-out company decided to tackle the misconception that it's 'impossible' or 'too hard' to green an existing or older building head-on.

It looked difficult.16 Noel Street exists across two floors of a 1960s, seven-storey, multi-tenanted office block – the type of building normally be considered an environmental write-off.

The sustainable office

Undeterred, Morgan Lovell pooled its experts to transform the old office into a model of sustainability and also set itself an ambitious challenge – to achieve a BREEAM 'excellent' rating.

Success was achieved in March 2008, with a score of 76% in the BREEAM rating – the highest-scoring development of its type in the UK.

Features of the refit include recycled plastic bottles for kitchen surfaces and clay based paints to reduce solvent emissions. Furniture was reused, and products including flooring and furniture sourced as locally as possible with a high recycled content and themselves recyclable. Desks and computers not needed were given to charity.

Lighting, heating and cooling are zoned. Sensors deploy lighting only in areas where people are working. Lights adjust automatically to the natural conditions so less artificial light is needed. Heat rejected in areas being cooled is used to warm other parts of the building as required.

Recycling units are built in and water-metering systems measure usage and identify areas of excessive use. All of the energy demand is supplied from renewable energy sources. A survey after the refurbishment showed high levels of employee satisfaction with a score of 95%.

Morgan Lovell's living case study

The office is now a 'living' case study. New products are constantly being tested on site, ready to roll out in Morgan Lovell's sustainable fit-out projects nationally. The fit out cost little more than a conventional refurbishment, and the savings on energy bills will see a return on that investment within several years. Recycling rates stand at 82%.

The office is currently cutting energy levels by around 11%, compared to energy usage prior to the fit out. This saving comes from four key areas: the use of efficient new plant, heating and ventilation (zoned), maximising the use of natural daylight and intelligent lighting.

An independent report by energy consulting company Diligentia, shows the project delivers a 40.6% improvement in CO2 emissions compared with a notional building.