Arup’s new visionary Sheffield office earns SKA Gold

Delivered by Overbury’s northern team, the project is the first commercial office in the city to achieve a Gold rating, which already boasts a Gold-rated refurbishment at Sheffield Hallam University.

Arup’s SKA Gold rating was awarded for excellence in sustainable design and construction. Alongside a high recycling rate, 100 percent of work stations, light fittings, storage cabinets, equipment and even plants were refurbished or donated to local charities and schools. In addition building materials were sourced locally, reducing CO2 emissions for the project.

Critical to achieving a SKA Gold rating is being able to demonstrate that the design positively contributes to staff wellbeing. Flexible and collaborative breakout zones, complete with advanced acoustic engineering, were recognised for providing a sociable environment that reduces disruption to employees.

Jim Bell, office director at Arup in Sheffield said: “Having a positive benefit to society is fundamental to Arup’s mission so we wanted a tool to help guide us through our fit out design and construction. Using SKA enabled us to make informed decisions and allowed us to create an innovative new office, whilst focusing on staff wellbeing, sustainability and environmental impact.”

Philip Westwood, director at Overbury commented: “One of the key outcomes from this challenging project has been the ability to achieve these standards through early planning and collaboration. Commercial space doesn’t have to be mediocre and considering the sustainability of an office space has significant benefits.”

Arup appointed Overbury to deliver the new creative space and Rider Levett Bucknall to act as SKA assessors on the project.