Hard evidence has now emerged that Britian’s shopping centres are getting greener: Land Securities and Hammerson’s £500m Cabot Circus development in Bristol, has become the first open retail development in the UK to win a coveted ‘Excellent’ rating under the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). And weeks later Land Securities did it again, winning the same rating for its new Elements project in Livingston. At the same time Hammerson’s Highcross Leicester was rated ‘very good’.

The 1.5million-sq ft Cabot Circus is designed to take advantage of natural ventilation saving around 5m kilowatt hours per annum, which is equivalent 

to the energy consumed annually by 

450 homes.

Materials with low environmental impact, such as sustainable timber and insulation, were used during construction, and zinc and copper were used for roofing and fascias rather than metals that are harder to recycle.

Water-saving devices have also been incorporated, and a rainwater harvesting system has been installed so rainwater from street canopies is pumped directly for use in toilets, and intelligent lighting controls only illuminate areas when people are around.

The developers also tried to make the construction process as green as possible: The scheme saw 90 per cent of steel waste recycled, 80 per cent of timber chipped and 40 per cent of concrete from recycled sources.

Similarly, a combination of sustainable design and careful management of the construction process achieved the top green rating for The Elements in Livingston town centre. It comprises six separate buildings united by a transparent ETFE roof : the same material used for the domes at Cornwall’s Eden Project.

The buildings are highly insulated and constructed from low environmental impact materials with a long design life such as terracotta, stone and zinc. Public spaces are ventilated by an energy efficient air displacement system with natural air and smoke ventilation.

Other environmentally friendly features include rainwater harvesting for flushing toilets and solar panels which preheat hot water.

According to Land Securities chief executive Francis Salway this is just the beginning for a brighter, greener future. “We take great pride in setting new standards for the environment across our business – whether they are solely our developments or are built in partnership with other like-minded developers,” he says. “Cabot Circus and The Elements are fantastic additions to our record and help set the benchmark for future schemes.”