May 15, 2009—The new Cardiff Central Library, a development by St. David’s Partnership and contractor Laing O’Rourke Wales & West, has achieved a post-construction BREEAM Excellent rating and is set to become one of the most iconic sustainable buildings in the city of Cardiff, located in South Wales.
According to Mike Lewis of Laing O’Rourke, Wales & West, the improvements in the environmental assessment were made without increasing costs in construction.
Located on a site that was a former car park for the Marriott Hotel, the development scored particularly well in the Land Use and Ecology sections of BREEAM. The original site had a low ecological value, so measures were put in place to positively enhance ecology, including the provision of a green roof.
The building also scored well in the Water section of BREEAM by installing water saving devices such as dual flush toilets and a leak detection system capable of identifying major leaks both inside and outside the building.
Other environmental measures that contributed to the “Excellent” rating include good public transportation links and the use of insulation materials that have zero ozone-depleting potential.
