First Design-Stage BREEAM Outstanding

Case study: Gazeley’s G.Park
Gazeley’s 35,500m2 G.Park Blue Planet distribution centre in Chatterley Valley, Staffordshire UK is the first ever building to achieve a design-stage BREEAM Outstanding rating by scoring exemplary credits in four areas of BREEAM. It is projected to save up to £300,000 per year in reduced running costs as a result of the environmental features incorporated into its design – evidence that achieving a high BREEAM rating can help improve return on investment.

Jonathan Fenton-Jones, Director of Sustainability and Global Procurement at Gazeley said: “Receiving the first design-stage BREEAM Outstanding rating is the highest recognition for Gazeley’s focus on sustainable logistics. With G.Park Blue Planet at Chatterley Valley, we believe we have created an industry blueprint for cutting-edge developments. Not only does it deliver significant environmental savings, it also creates total energy and water cost in use savings of up to £300,000 per annum.”

The new BREEAM Outstanding rating was introduced in August 2008 to recognise a new standard of sustainability for exemplary developments. A score of 85% must be obtained to achieve Outstanding, compared to 70% for an Excellent rating. There are also higher minimum standards under Outstanding – for example 10 out of the 15 available credits for reducing CO2 emissions must be achieved, compared to the 6 required for an Excellent rating.

The building will undergo a Post-Construction Review, a key element of the BREEAM 2008 methodology, towards the end of 2009 when the final BREEAM rating will be confirmed.