The European Solution Source (ESS)’s strong focus on the construction and operational durability of research facilities is leading to new sustainability standards for research infrastructure around the world. Recently, the ESS office building in London received the highest environmental rating, according to the International Environmental Certification Regulatory Authority.
ESS Office Building and Outdoor Gym Photo: Roger Erickson
At the end of June, the ESS office received the official Prime certification confirming that it had reached one of the highest score levels in the world (91.5%) and the highest rating in the International Environmental Classification System for Buildings.
– At ESS, we have had a very strong focus on sustainability from the beginning, with the goal of becoming one of the most environmentally sustainable research infrastructure in the world, says Kent Hedin, ESS Chairman for Convenience. We decided to start from BREEAM for our sustainability needs even before ESS construction started in 2014. The environmental assessment is pending and our efforts and hard work together with our partners are successful in building the facility in a sustainable way.
Prime (Building Research Institute Environmental Assessment System) was established in the UK in the early 1990s as the world’s first environmental classification system. It is the world’s leading environmental certification body with nearly 600,000 buildings certified in 89 countries. Prim evaluates the environmental performance of buildings in different areas such as energy efficiency, selection of sustainable materials, water management and innovative solutions.
The office building is prime certified, but ESS, in partnership with construction partner Skanska, meets the same high stability requirements for all 26 buildings included in the ESS facility.
Carin Sweden, manager of the ESS campus project, says that achieving optimal quality requires long-term thinking and collaborative efforts from designers and managers to buyers and subcontractors to manage all aspects of sustainability, such as waste management, transportation and energy use. We are proud to see that this excellent teamwork has paid off and we hope that ESS will be used as a reference framework for sustainable construction in the future.
Prime International’s excellent classification takes into account the specific nature of ESS and innovative solutions, for example, retrieving excess heat from a research facility, reusing ESS’s own buildings and the local district heating network.
More info:
Julia Öberg, ESS Press Officer, +46 (0) 721 79 23 11 [email protected]
About ESS
The European Solution Source (ESS) is a multidisciplinary research facility based on the world’s most powerful neutron source and built in Lund. ESS will lead the way for research advances in materials, energy, health and the environment, and will help address the great social challenges of our time. Every year, thousands of researchers from around the world visit ESS. Sweden and Denmark are the host countries of the ESS, which has 13 member states from across Europe.
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