Grafton Life Sciences

Our sustainability team delivered a sustainable development brief for the redevelopment of the Grafton Centre. Previously an under-used shopping centre, the Grafton Centre will become a life sciences campus with upgraded retail and hotel facilities.

We undertook extensive stakeholder engagement with the client, design team, and local planning authority to develop a bespoke sustainability strategy that exceeded ambitions in the emerging plan. It confirmed that BREEAM was not appropriate for the scheme. Our experts developed a whole life carbon and circular economy strategy to maximise reuse of the existing building, reduce embodied carbon, and minimise demolition impacts. We introduced operational energy reduction through passive design measures, combustion free heating, hot water and cooling.

Simon Wyatt, Partner, commented, “Retaining and reusing the existing structural elements of this previously underutilised shopping centre proved challenging. We worked hand in hand with the structural design team to implement a whole life carbon and circular economy strategy to maximise the existing building while reducing embodied carbon and minimise demolition impacts.”

Subjit Jassy, Director at the Pioneer Group, commented as well saying, "Cundall's sustainability team supported the Grafton Centre to create a bespoke sustainability strategy, coordinating engagement across the design team, which matched our ambitions as an operator and developer, as well as the Council’s aspirations based on their emerging policy. Their knowledge and coordination assisted through the planning process and ensured that our ambitions and aspirations were embedded to deliver a world class facility within Cambridge."