A sustainable office refurbishment in Richmond has been awarded BREEAM ‘Outstanding’, delivering 45,000 sq ft of high-quality office accommodation, with leading ESG credentials, to the South East market.

Explore is just one of three buildings in the region to have achieved this level of accreditation and is the first to have undergone an extensive refurbishment. Less than 1% of new, non-domestic buildings achieve a BREEAM Outstanding rating.

The news comes as the European Environment Agency recently published a report which found that buildings currently account for 35% of greenhouse gas emissions, but “smart renovations that focus on efficient use of energy” are crucial to helping Europe increase the sustainability of its built environment.

A report by Savills also revealed that Grade A space accounted for 80% of office take-up in the South East market between Q1 and Q4 of 2024, showing the strong demand from companies for high quality work space.

The development, which transformed a dilapidated and obsolete building into a vibrant office space, has been funded by Barwood Capital’s Regional Property Growth Fund IV and delivered by RED Construction Group. Moorevale acted as development manager on behalf of Barwood.

Explore has an EPC-A rating. Measures to support energy efficiency and biodiversity include enhancing greening and planting opportunities in both common areas and private spaces plus electric vehicle charging points. The building is also fitted with electric heating and cooling HVAC with no fossil fuels used on site.

Employee health and wellbeing has also been highly prioritised in the development, with amenities including 42 cycle parking spaces, a communal lounge, and a gym. The scheme has secured WiredScore Gold and Fitwell 2* accreditation.

Adam Smith, Senior Asset Management Director at Barwood Capital, said:

“We are thrilled to receive recognition for Explore Richmond, which has shaken up the South East market with its best-in-class design and leading ESG credentials. We have already seen an influx of enquiries from businesses in the region who are prioritising providing an enhanced working environment for their staff.

“We’re proud to set a new standard for environmental responsibility, highlighting that refurbishment can deliver on functionality, while contributing to wider environmental goals.”