Skansen

Liverpool Victoria Asset Management (LVAM) has commissioned the first refurbishment of a Grade II Listed office building in the City of London, with the aim of being designed and delivered to a ‘gold’ standard under the RICS’ new Ska Rating Environmental Benchmarking and Assessment Method.

LVAM has commissioned the Cat A refurbishment of 20,000sq.ft of office space over four floors of 1-3 Bishopsgate in the City of London, having recently agreed a surrender of the office floors from US bank, Wachovia.  The property also includes a prestigious restaurant  unit (a further 12,000sq.ft.) formerly occupied by bar and restaurant operator Prohibition.  

The Ska Rating system measures environmental good practice on projects as it relates to Energy & CO2, Waste, Water, Pollution, Transport & Wellbeing. It is centred around 99 good practice measures. However, unlike other assessment methods, the project is only scored against those good practice measures that are relevant to project scope, in other words identifying  measures that can be influenced by the project team.

In targeting a Gold Rating, LVAM is actively seeking to ensure and document that in excess of 75% of environmental good practice is achieved.

Ska Rating, conceived by the RICS, fit out contractor Skansen and consultant AECOM,  can be applied to the refurbishment of new buildings or the fit out of existing offices, and provides the potential for dual certification for project teams or clients who want to demonstrate best practice environmental performance.

Howard Meaney, Head of Property Investments at LVAM, explains:  “We are choosing to deliver a greener product at 1-3 Bishopsgate, and we anticipate that the new Ska Rating will become an industry benchmark for all Fund Managers to achieve when undertaking refurbishment projects, being of benefit to both investors and  potential tenants. “

James Pack, director at Skansen and one of the original developers of the Ska Rating, added: “Until the Ska Rating was launched by the RICS at the end of 2009 there was simply no way of assessing the environmental performance of an office fit out or refurbishment of this nature. Given that the sector is thought to be worth around £6 billion per annum, this was a significant gap in the industry’s ability to push the sustainability agenda. I’m pleased that LVAM has chosen to aim for the highest levels of environmental performance and we’re happy that we’ll be a part of helping them achieve their target.”

LVAM has appointed Ska Rating Development Partners and Accredited Assessors Skansen and Pringle Brandon to design, deliver and certify the project. Cushman & Wakefield and King Sturge have been appointed joint office leasing agents and leisure specialists, AG&G, to advise on the restaurant.