Salford Office Building Breaks NABERS Sustainability Record

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10 July 2023

Eden, a 12-storey office building in Salford, is the first new build in the UK to achieve a 5.5 NABERS “Design Reviewed” Target Rating.

To date there are only 20 buildings that have been certified through the independent design review ranging from 4 to 5-star rating, Eden is one of two with the highest 5.5 star target rating, with the other building being a refurbishment. The NABERS performance framework was launched in the UK in 2021 and is administered by the Building Research Establishment.

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Eden, New Bailey

Once complete, Eden will be enabled to run solely on 100 per cent renewable electricity, with no gas heating or hot water, and has been designed using the UK Green Building Council’s 2030-2035 operational energy targets. Designed by Make Architects, Eden is also a LETI (London Energy Transformation Initiative) pioneer project.

Sustainable materials have been used throughout Eden where possible, such as recycled steel for reinforcement, 40 per cent cement replacement for the substructure and 30 per cent cement replacement for the superstructure. This results in Eden reducing its upfront embodied carbon intensity down to 662kgCO2/m2, compared with over 1100kgCO2/m2 for a typical development of this type.

Phil Marsden, Director of Project Management (North West) at Muse said “Eden’s creation was motivated purely by the ambition to build the UK’s most sustainable and environmentally considerate commercial building. We are thrilled with the result and have learnt so much; learnings we look forward to sharing with our sector to help build a brighter future, together.”

Paul Dennett, Mayor of Salford added: “Our city has a proud history of innovation, from the first steamboat to the first swing aqueduct, and we are thrilled to add Eden to that list – a sustainable endeavour Salfordians will be working hard to add to for the benefit of our city and future generations to come.”

Europe’s Largest Living Wall 

The building is due to complete in late summer 2023 when it will also hold the title of having Europe’s largest living wall which, at 36,000 sq ft, will also be the second largest in the world.

This façade has been designed to remove air pollutants including carbon, reduce urban temperatures offering thermal benefits to occupiers, and deliver a 174 per cent net gain in the biodiversity of the area, while at the same time providing high-quality green spaces. Alongside this, the façade has a range of health benefits, with Eden designed to enhance occupier health, wellbeing, productivity and will embrace the WELL Building Standard principles, which aim to improve health and human experience through design.

Picture: a render image showing the exterior of the Eden building. Image Credit: New Bailey

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 10 July 2023

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