JLL Birmingham earns BREEAM ‘Excellent’ and grows workspace

Located at One Centenary Way, the office has been sustainably adapted, resulting in an increase in desk capacity as more employees choose to return to the workplace.

BREEAM Excellent, awarded to just the top 10% of UK non-domestic buildings, recognises best-in-class performance in energy efficiency, materials, water and health.

More than 80% of the office’s furniture is second life, with additional biophilia and natural materials to enhance employee experience and drive down embodied carbon. Finishes include, recycled Italian shoe leather, carpeting with a high recycled content and recycled plastic worktops.

The office is also targeting WELL accreditation, meeting JLL’s gold standard for indoor air quality, natural materials, and overall wellbeing.

The project was managed by Associate Director Connah Jones, who works in JLL Birmingham’s Project and Cost management team. The appointed design and build contractor for the fit-out was Tétris, JLL’s design and build subsidiary.

The transformation reflects JLL’s commitment to creating workplaces that prioritise both sustainability and employee experience – an approach also recognised with a BCO Midlands award shortlisting, highlighting the innovation and quality behind this project.

Connah Jones, associate director at JLL, said: “We’re really pleased to have achieved a BREEAM Excellent rating – it’s the standard we set for all our offices, and it shows how important it is to us to make our spaces more sustainable.

“The accreditation also reflects the work we aim to deliver for our clients – setting a solid foundation for where we’re heading with workplace design.”

Kelvin Craddock, director in tenant representation at JLL, said: “Since the pandemic, we’ve seen a lot of businesses rethink how much office space they actually need – and in many cases, they underestimated it. More people want to be back in the office, but they need the right environment to make that worthwhile.

“With our own space, we’ve had to add more desks to keep up with demand. The recent fit-out has made a big difference – it's flexible, sustainable, and works well for how we use the office day to day.”