The Ska Rating system aims to be the standard measure of a building fit-out’s sustainability – and it is accessible and inexpensive. Noella Pio Kivlehan reports
Construction may have been completed, but the work never ceases. A building, during its lifecycle, can face up to 40 refits, and in a recession, when companies are less inclined to move due to cost, that number can be even higher.
But even if money is tight, environmental concerns for fit-outs are still top priority. Although the construction sector proudly boosts many regulations and accreditations – the most common BREEAM – to measure the greenness of the construction and surrounding area, it was felt that the fit-out sector, which accounts for 10% of the £64.5bn spent on construction, had been left out.
Then along came Ska. At the 2008 CoreNet UK Awards, Skansen’s Ska Rating tool concept won the Sustainability Award. It was then adopted by the RICS, which now provides assessor accreditation training and project certification.
Last November the RICS formally launched the assessment scheme in conjunction with Skansen (see panel).
And in April, Swindon-based RWE npower Renewables was the first company awarded a Gold Standard (see panel). This was followed by Liverpool Victoria which, in May, became the first company to commission and target a Gold Level Ska Rating in the City for its scheme at 1-3 Bishopsgate, EC2.
At the time of November’s launch, the RICS’s website described Ska Rating as comprising “99 good-practice measures across energy and CO2, waste, water, pollution, transport, materials and wellbeing”.
Depending on the number of measures achieved, and the significance of these from a sustainability perspective, a fit-out is then awarded either a gold, silver or bronze ranking.
The website adds: “A key feature of the Ska Rating is that it has been designed to be accessible even for the smallest organisation. All the information about the rating method, criteria and best practice guidance is available free via the web. Use of the online assessment tool is also free for those who want to self-assess their fit-out.
“However, those companies looking to obtain a quality-assured certificate will also be able to commission a formal assessment from a qualified Ska Rating assessor.”
Overall, the RICS’s initiative has been welcomed by the market. Paul Jayson, partner at DLA Piper, says: “Within the construction and real estate world, those who are actively involved with fit-out projects will be pleased at the introduction of a rating system that is specifically designed for fit-outs.”
Ska backed by the RICS
Jayson adds: “Fit-out contractors have no say over the base build of a project and have therefore felt that the BREEAM standard – despite its more established brand – is not appropriate. While Ska has the backing of the RICS, it is the upstart ‘challenging’ the dominant benchmarking/rating system in the country.”
But some have argued that Ska has entered a crowded market for environmental assessment. In defence of Ska, Tim Robinson, RICS director of strategic business development, marks out two points of difference between Ska and BREEAM.
First, Ska focuses completely on fit-outs, and considers only the project, while BREEAM’s screening takes in base building factors such as the energy performance of the building and location factors. Ska takes into account factors such as office furniture, while BREEAM covers only around 40% of fit-out items.
Second, while it can cost £17,000-£25,000 for BREEAM to certify a building, Robinson says that Ska guidance and tools are free and available for self-assessment on-line, with optional certification.
The RICS says this move was not just a reaction to wanting to help companies save money during the recession. “The decision to make it open and free pre-dated the economic downturn in 2008,” says Robinson.
Disputing the cost, Martin Townsend, director with BREEAM, says that the BRE Global perspective is £1,230 in the UK, for a post-construction certification, but that price does not include the assessor time, which is required to collect the information.
“That is out of BRE’s control”, he says, adding: “Our wider strategy is to move to a more on-line/web approach, the first step is an on-line tool for assessing existing buildings (BREEAM in Use), which can either be self-assessed by the building owner or occupier or fully certified via an assessor.”
Where both accreditations do agree is the need to increase standards within the industry. Robinson says: “Ska research was initiated in 2006 and from early on the purpose of it was to get occupiers and landlords to raise their game in terms of sustainability by combining knowledge in a way that is freely available.
“This means that the market could select how to use it itself. It could be to announce their assessments to the industry via certification or for SMEs who want to do their bit for their environment without spending thousands of pounds on formal assessment.”
Despite parts of Ska being free online, some believe the cost still involved is putting companies off using the system.
James Tinkler, partner in King Sturge’s building and sustainability team, says: “Professionals see the Ska Rating as a useful tool in measuring the sustainability of an office fit-out. However, very few seem to have used it so far. It is not clear why this is. It is possibly because of the very cost-focused environment that we are in. There is the extra cost, perceived or real, of making a fit-out more sustainable, and the cost of the rating exercise itself.”
But Robinson says they are more than happy with the take-up progress. “The Ska Rating development committee will have been together for two years and it takes time to build up [a reputation], but we are pleased with the pace.
“We have had some very good support from the likes of the RICS and CoreNet. We have other organisations at the supply end, which say they see Ska Rating as a common language, and manufacturers see it as a way to demonstrate the sustainability of their products, while designers see it as helpful to be able to deliver green products.”
Robinson adds: “The approach that we have taken is to launch a quality tool. Because we are in this refurbishment cycle we want to take this opportunity now. There is a programme of getting out there and talking it through and also taking lessons from the likes of BREEAM. Ultimately, we would like to see Ska Rating grow and become the tool of choice for fit-out projects.”
RWE npower renewables – the first Ska Gold Standard winner
In April, Swindon-based RWE npower Renewables became the first company to win the Ska Gold Level award for its 36,000 sq ft building that was completed in December 2009.
Angus D’Arcy-Drake, southern region asset manager with RWE npower Renewables, says the Ska Rating fitted in perfectly with his company’s fit-out strategy. “Regardless of the building, you can tailor the Ska Rating to suit the projects you have.”
It was also more flexible than using BREEAM, says Dave Horton, property sustainability manager at RWE npower. “Ska allows me to look at the credits of the work I am doing within a fit-out or refurbishment by looking at things like the air-conditioning, whereas BREEAM looks across the entire building. Also, being able to do assessments on the internet appeals to me as we have some very small sites, so by using the online tool, I can make sure we have a common standard across all our buildings.”
However, D’Arcy-Drake points out how the two – BREEAM and Ska – can work hand in hand. “It was significant to us that this building was BREEAM rated, but we also wanted to keep our carbon footprint low, which meant we needed a fit-out that helped us to keep the BREEAM rating.”
To do this, RWE npower Renewables worked with building services engineering firm hurleypalmerflatt. Stuart Bowman, divisional director at hurleypalmerflatt, says: “Ska works because it is developed by the industry for the industry and that makes it unique.”
RWE npower Renewables’ office is now being used as a benchmark because it is the first to attain the gold standard. “This building is now out there as a leader in its field in the concept of Ska,” says Bowman.
Should Ska and BREEam merge to create a super-assessment?
Two assessments: one internationally known, the other, smaller, newer, and filling a gap in the former. It seems logical that BREEAM and Ska should come together to produce a super-assessment.
The market thinks it is a good idea, and so does BREEAM. “That would be the natural progression: that BREEAM would buy it [Ska], or pick it up from the RICS. It doesn’t make sense that BREEAM is missing the boat on that [comprehensive] service line,” says Erin Karsten, upstream sustainability consultant with Jones Lang LaSalle.
Martin Townsend, director with BREEAM, is keen for the two to work together for the good of the industry.
“Ska Rating has identified that maybe we can refine our [certification] tool further because we do have a fit-out tool. As part of that conversation I would ask the RICS if we can work together. If we can create better building [certification] then that would be my main goal.
“This is about driving up standards and making sure people make better decisions, whether they are doing a fit-out, a rebuild or a refurbishment.”
As for the RICS, Tim Robinson says: “It’s all about good practice and if BREEAM wants to talk about how we could work together then we would sit down and talk about this through its own merits.”
However, DLA Piper Partner Paul Jayson believes more needs to be done than just talking. “There will need to be a lot of consolidation in the world of rating systems if they are to achieve universal acceptance. If Ska and BREEAM were to merge, occupiers would have the comfort of having one industry accepted standard rather than risk the building equivalent of VHS/Betamax.”
