3.16.10 | London, UK | HOK London's new office at the Qube in Central London has earned LEED for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI) Gold certification, the first office space in the United Kingdom to achieve this distinction from the U.S. Green Building Council. The 20,000-square-foot project is the most recent of the global architectural design firm's 11 LEED-certified offices on three continents.

Completed in 2009, the HOK London office environment exemplifies the firm's expertise in creating functional spaces that embody both exceptional design and sustainability. The open-plan interior layout incorporates numerous breakout and conference areas, creating an inspiring and collaborative environment that enables staff to work flexibly. Integrated within the design are numerous sustainable materials, finishes and energy management solutions.

"Our challenge was to achieve a high LEED rating within normal budgetary constraints for a commercial office interior," said Shashi Narayanan, head of sustainable architecture at HOK London. "By applying the LEED certification to our own office, we have been able to demonstrate that environmentally conscious design can be affordable and achievable in commercial office spaces."

The achievement brings to 11 the number of HOK offices that have achieved LEED-CI certification. Other offices to earn this distinction include HOK Atlanta (Gold), HOK Beijing (Gold), HOK Chicago (Platinum), HOK Hong Kong (Gold), HOK Miami (certified), HOK San Francisco (certified), HOK Shanghai (Silver), HOK Singapore (Silver), HOK St. Louis (certified) and HOK Toronto (Gold).

A pioneer in the sustainable design since the early 1990s, HOK's expertise has led to 68 LEED certified projects firmwide, including the world's largest LEED-NC Platinum certification (King Abdullah University of Science & Technology in Saudi Arabia), first LEED certified airport terminal (Terminal A at Boston Logan International Airport), first LEED certified juvenile justice center (Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center in San Leandro, California) and first LEED certified project in Singapore (HOK Singapore).

Established by the U.S. Green Building Council, the LEED Green Building Rating System is a voluntary international standard for developing high-performance, environmentally conscious buildings and interior spaces. LEED certified projects are required to demonstrate environmental credentials across a number of areas, including; sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources and indoor environmental quality. 

ISO 14001 Certification: HOK London has also recently achieved the international standard for environmental management, ISO14001. The certification requires organizations to demonstrate that all the environmental impacts of their business have been considered both in terms of the operational parameters and the final product. Proof that the business can demonstrate an ongoing reduction of its impact on the environment is also an important requirement of the standard, and the Environmental Management System driving the process is audited by a third party verification agency to ensure adherence to all aspects of the International standard.

Andrew Barraclough, Director of Performance at HOK London, said: "HOK London is committed to reducing its impact on the environment through the use of environmentally conscious design at all levels of planning and design. The achievement of this challenging certification demonstrates that HOK London has a fully embedded environmentally responsive approach to every aspect of our service delivery and operational performance."

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HOK is a global architectural firm that specializes in planning, design and delivery solutions for buildings and communities. Through its collaborative network of 23 offices worldwide, the firm serves diverse clients within the corporate, commercial, public and institutional markets. HOK is committed to developing resources and expertise to help lead the world toward sustainable communities and building environments. Founded in 1955, the firm's expertise includes architecture, engineering, interiors, planning, lighting, graphics, facilities planning and assessment and construction services.