JLL raising the bar for eco-friendly standards at new city centre site

Property group JLL has announced it is accelerating towards its fist quarter 2020 North West office move, as more details have been revealed about the design and specification of the space in Landmark, St Peter’s Square in the heart of Manchester.

A fly-through video released by the global property consultants showcases the concept finished product, which has been designed in line with JLL’s progressive sustainability and wellness values.

Richard Kelly, a director in JLL’s North West building consultancy team, who has worked closely on the project, said: “One of the most important aspects of this office fit-out was the circular economy, in line with our corporate-wide sustainability and zero wastage efforts.

“It has been embedded within the office against four key principles: Circular procurement, new business models, existing office clearance, and engagement through stories.

“We’ve sourced high-quality existing furniture items for inclusion in the scheme, rather than procuring anything newly-manufactured.”

Furniture and items from the current office that JLL’s team will no longer require will be donated to Wood Street Mission, a charity which provides support to low-income families in Manchester.

Richard added: “JLL has looked to reflect in the fit-out its company-wide ethos of putting people and their happiness at the heart of what they do.

“We’re improving the acoustic quality of the environment by installing sound-masking systems, and we’re putting in place a state-of-the-art Naava green wall.”

The Naava active living wall will be installed in the office entrance area, improving absorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by up to 60%, and maintaining optimum air quality.

JLL’s new workplace will also boast tuneable circadian lighting, which will provide employees with precisely the right level of lighting throughout the working day, supporting the body’s natural circadian rhythm.

The seven elements of a WELL, the global building standard designed to enhance people’s health and wellness through the built environment, are air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind – all of which will be incorporated by JLL into its new home at Landmark.

The CGI video, created by JLL’s in-house design team Tétris, shows a light and airy space with ample communal areas, and a sleek, considered design.

Comfortable booths sit next to a high-spec, fully-fitted kitchen, and plants have been incorporated heavily into the design in addition to the living wall.

Richard added: “We recently announced our plans to use the new North West office as a test bed to trial energy and resource efficient solutions, and it will be a key driver in helping us to achieve JLL’s own UK net zero carbon targets by 2030.”

JLL’s ambitious sustainability goals are a result of the business’s commitment to its ‘Building a Better Tomorrow’ programme, which all its UK workplaces have targets built around.

The global real estate consultancy team chose Landmark as its new North West home due, in part, to the developer’s commitment to constructing a building of the highest environmental standards.

Landmark boasts a BREEAM Excellent certification; an EPC A energy performance rating; photovoltaic panels which generate renewable electricity; electric vehicle charging points; and more.

Within its own floor design JLL has incorporated the best available technology to meet energy efficiency targets and wellbeing requirements.

The Landmark building

Richard said: “Embedding eco-design and end-of-life management principles into our procurement process has seen us incorporate over 180 re-manufactured and refurbished products, and where second life products have not been available, we have specified cradle-to-cradle or equivalent environmental certification for fit-out products.”

These include desks made from recycled yoghurt pots and carpets made out of fishermen’s nets.

Steve Hogg, JLL North West’s lead director, added: “Our people and sustainability are two of our key values and we consider both of those things as a priority whenever we undertake a crucial project such as this one.

“The team has created a beautiful space, as the visuals demonstrate – but more importantly, it is a space which will support our team, provide them with a healthy and balanced working environment, and will have minimal impact on our wider planet.”

The new office space has been designed by JLL’s in-house design team, Tétris. Contractors are currently on-site fitting out, and it is expected to complete in Spring 2020.