The Skanska team at Aldersgate Street – one of its London offices – is going the extra mile to become greener
Recently named as winner of Skanska’s annual Green Workspace Award – the team works in partnership with its suppliers to improve the green credentials of the office and monitors energy use closely, making changes that will lower its consumption.
Skanska’s Green Workspace award recognises teams within the company that are going above and beyond to become greener.
Bruno Condé, Office Manager at Aldersgate Street has been leading the drive for greener ways of working at the office. He commented: “The whole team is really proud to have won this award, and it will spur us on to keep improving our performance in the future. There’s lots that we can do as individuals but facilities managers can make a big difference too – keeping an eye open for innovations, being creative and thinking green is, in my opinion, absolutely essential in the world we live today.”
Senior Sustainability Manager Nigel Sagar said: “Bruno Condé and his Aldersgate Street team stood out for their commitment and enthusiasm to reducing the environmental impact of Skanska’s office. We’re proud that so many of Skanska’s employees really do show a firm commitment towards Our Journey to Deep Green™ – continually improving our working practices and reducing our impact on the environment.”
A number of measures have been put in place in the office, including:
- Meeting rooms lights with motion-sensors switch off when not in use and all other lights are routinely switched off each night by the security team.
- There are no bins under employees’ desks – instead there are recycling points for batteries, paper, cardboard, printer cartridges, aluminium cans, and CDs and DVDs. And all cleaning products used in the office are eco-friendly.
- Green travel is encouraged with access to the Barclays Bike scheme along with personal protective equipment (PPE), regular public transport updates, promotion of video-conferencing and use of green taxi company.
- Office furniture is made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood and recycled plastic and kitchen equipment is energy efficient.
- Employees are encouraged to make suggestions about greener ways of working, with prizes on offer for the best ideas.
Skanska believes that construction with near zero impact on the environment is possible. This includes the impact of Skanska’s own offices, which are becoming greener as part of its Journey to Deep Green™.
Skanska has set about refurbishing a number of its facilities, including Hollywood House in Woking and its headquarters in Hertfordshire. By introducing green technologies to existing buildings, it will achieve impressive savings in both energy use and bills.