In an era when sustainability has taken centre stage for many occupiers, Frasers Property is trailblazing an innovative new initiative for its latest refurbishment of the first floor at Maxis I.
Dividing it into two separate offices, Frasers has partnered with fit-out contractors, Morgan Lovell, to redesign the floorspace, repurposing 80 existing pieces of furniture and using the contractor’s pioneering new CarboniCa carbon tool to calculate the difference
Significant Reductions
The result is a remarkable reduction of 25% in overall carbon emissions, saving 5.7 tonnes of embodied carbon, which is the same amount emitted by 41 flights from Heathrow to Glasgow or what would be absorbed by 2.2 acres of mature woodlands over the course of a full year.
So how does this innovative tool CarboniCa work? Well, the cutting-edge technology enables us to quantify not only the overall embodied carbon within a fitout, but also dissect each element of the refurbishment to pinpoint carbon hotspots and propose eco-friendly alternatives, working towards targets set by Morgan Lovell and Frasers Property to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) targets, as defined by the Science based Targets Initiative (SBTi).
Aligned to Industry Bodies
The resulting data is presented in a format complaint with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), encompassing separate scope 3 emissions, Social Value metrics and additional parameters aligned with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI)
When you consider that in traditional fit outs, the furniture can account for a substantial 40% of the overall fitout process, Frasers believes repurposing furniture must be the future.
Promoting Real Change
By recycling 80 pieces, the furniture at Maxis was only 16% of the entire fitout. This substantial reduction, significantly below the industry benchmark, stands as testament to Frasers Property’s determination to make real change to positively impact the environment.
The alternative, relying solely on new products would have made the resulting embodied carbon soar from 16.5 tonnes to 22.3 tonnes, equivalent to some 161 flights from Heathrow to Glasgow.
On-going Commitment
But this is only one element of what Frasers Property is looking to achieve. We’re also investing in and committed to improving our sustainability performance overall to become market leading. This includes increasing biodiversity initiatives for wildlife and people.
So far, we have successfully installed 46,444 sq ft of solar PV at Maxis, saving 238 tonnes of CO2 per year, the equivalent of planting 10,914 trees. By the end of 2023, we are aiming for both buildings to be fully electric.
The feedback from our occupiers has been extremely positive as we help them to deliver on their own commitments and provide the tools they need market their own businesses in a sustainable way.
Information on the new carbon saving space is available here
