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IKEA UK’s newest full-sized store, which opened at Greenwich in south-east London on February 7, has achieved an ‘Outstanding’ BREEAM UK New Construction certification: an accolade held by just 320 buildings around the world.
IKEA Greenwich was designed and built to reach the highest BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) rating possible, and by reaching ‘Outstanding’**, it has achieved the highest rating of any IKEA store in the world.
The 32,000sq m branch, which is 22nd full-sized IKEA store to open in the UK, includes sustainable technologies such as solar power, LED lighting, rainwater harvesting and renewable construction materials, while maximising the use of renewable electricity with a solar and geothermal system supporting the heating and cooling. It features three landscaped gardens including a roof garden with a sedum roof, all accessible to customers. The store also has a Learning Lab: a dedicated space for customers, staff and the local community to explore prolonging the life of products, upcycling and reducing waste.
IKEA Greenwich store manager Helen Aylett said: “Achieving ‘Outstanding’ BREEAM certification is a huge step in our commitment to have a positive impact on the environment, the local community and our customers. The wide range of sustainable and innovative features that IKEA Greenwich offers are a great way to inform and encourage our customers to take small steps to live more sustainably, whilst we strive to have a positive impact on the local environment.”
Hege Sæbjørnsen, country sustainability manager at IKEA UK & Ireland added: “Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do and through our combined efforts across the business and in partnership with others, we have been able to achieve an ‘Outstanding’ BREEAM UK New Construction rating. This is a prolific milestone in our journey to becoming a more sustainable and circular business, and also how we hope to inspire change beyond our own business. The many new sustainable technologies and initiatives allow us to meet the needs of our customers, whilst staying within the limits of one planet.”
Shamir Ghumra, director of BREEAM at BRE Group, said: “BREEAM is the world’s leading building design certification and our aim is to drive excellence in sustainable building practices. IKEA’s 90.44% score reflects this. It’s testament to the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability practices of the highest standard, for the benefit of all.”
