ESS Rated Outstanding for High Sustainability Standards

© ESS // photo Roger Eriksson

At the end of June 2021, ESS received the official BREEAM certificate acknowledging that the ESS Office has achieved an Outstanding level, the highest rating in the international sustainability assessment for buildings, with one of the highest scores worldwide (91.5%).

“Since the beginning, ESS has had a very strong sustainability focus, aiming to become one of the most environmentally sustainable research infrastructures worldwide,” says Kent Hedin, ESS Head of Conventional Facilities. “We decided even before the construction of the facility started in 2014 to use BREEAM as a backbone for our sustainability requirements. The Outstanding rating is proof that all our efforts and hard work, together with our partners, to build the facility in a sustainable way have been successful.”

BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) was the world’s first building assessment system when established in the UK in 1990. It is today the globally leading environmental assessment, with almost 600,000 buildings certified in 89 countries. BREEAM measures buildings against a wide range of variables, including energy efficiency, sustainable materials, water management and innovation initiatives.

The BREEAM certificate obtained is for the Office building, however ESS and construction partner Skanska have followed the same sustainability requirements for all the 26 buildings at the ESS site.

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