Following an LED lighting makeover at the home of UK politics, number 10-12 Downing Street has had a special BREEAM award bestowed upon it in recognition of its environmental efforts. The governmental building was one of 17 to receive an award at the Ecobuild event in London earlier this week.
BREEAM is the world's leading ecological assessment method and rating system for properties and has seen over a million buildings register since the scheme launched in 1990.
According to the company's website, it "sets the standard for best practice in sustainable building design, construction and operation".
Downing Street can therefore be proud that it has been recognised by the institution for its environmental practice, especially at a time when the government is driving so many initiatives - some compulsory - to get homes and businesses to take more responsibility for their carbon footprint.
The 300-year-old building, which has around 150 people working there, achieved the award by replacing all of its outdoor lighting with LEDs and substituting its indoor lights with a mixture of LEDs, compact fluorescent bulbs and T5 fluorescent lights.
Such a retrofit project led to the building being awarded its gong for "most improvement year on year in its BREEAM In-Use performance", according to the organisation.
A spokeswoman for Downing Street told Lighting Magazine it is hoped that more LEDs will be installed in the interior of the building in the future in order to continue with its commendable performance.
The building was rating as 'very good' by BREEAM In-Use asset and building management and given an admirable four-star rating.
Richard Hardy, managing director of BRE Global, which manages BREEAM, attributed the importance of encouraging buildings to be more ecological to "growing evidence that the greater efficiency and quality associated with sustainability is also helping to make such buildings more commercially successful".
Other buildings which were recognised at the ceremony were Edge Lane Hospital in Liverpool, Carlton Fire Station in Nottingham and Bowker Street in Manchester.
