We are delighted that our IBM Southbank decommissioning project in Central London, achieved without a single item of waste going to landfill, has been shortlisted for a SECBE Award in the “Building Project of the Year (Under £10 million)” category.
The awards ceremony takes place at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on Thursday 29 June.
When IBM decided to vacate its well-known London Southbank premises and relocate its staff, Ridge was appointed by Apleona UK to oversee the building’s decommissioning, with a focus on IBM’s wish to avoid waste ending up in landfill.
Ridge was tasked with clearing thousands of items, including chairs, tables, desks, monitors, communications equipment, security equipment and plants, managing their redistribution while decommissioning building services, such as lighting and heating, in an energy-efficient manner. The process was made more challenging by the limited market for 1980s-era elements, such as built-in furniture.
Ridge acted as Employer’s Agent and Lead Consultant, designing the removal process from beginning to end, while also providing building services engineering and health and safety / Principal Designer consultancy. Ridge also helped identify the most appropriate contractor to perform the removal – Brenmar.
IBM’s aim was to ensure that very little removed from the building was sent to landfill, with everything either being recycled, repurposed or used for energy. The project team exceeded that by ensuring not a single item went to landfill.
Despite the access challenges which come with a Central London location, we successfully cleared the entire building, in collaboration with Brenmar, within the 16-week programme, and within budget.
2,591 chairs, 1,684 desks and associated equipment, together with stores, conference rooms etc., were cleared and the equipment relocated to IBM’s York Road, Hursley and Leicester offices. Most catering equipment was reallocated to other IBM offices, with the remainder given to 37 degrees, a charity which helps start-up businesses.
Remaining furniture, as well as furniture collected from the other IBM sites, was sent to the Wonder Years Centre of Excellence NGO in Gambia, to help community initiatives there.
By switching off services promptly, we saved a large amount of energy. Energy conservation was key – the reduction of energy use helped shape the project programme. Any unusable items were sent to incinerators to provide energy.
Much IT and AV equipment was donated to start-up businesses, helping them lower fixed capital costs. Hundreds of items of stationery were reallocated, recycled or donated, as were the many office plants throughout the building. Personal items and clothing were donated to charity.
27,000 litres of diesel were drained from the generator storage tanks, cleaned and given to an NHS Trust for use in their generators.
With detailed, collaborative planning, high environmental sustainability goals were met and exceeded within budget and programme and without cutting corners.
Congratulations to IBM, Apleona, Brenmar and the Ridge Winchester Building Surveying team on this well-deserved nomination.
Key Facts:
- 80 days project duration
- 20,160m2 of office space across 5 floors cleared
- 8,653 items removed
- 392 tonnes of furniture and equipment saved from landfill
- 169 tonnes of furniture and equipment relocated to West Africa for community projects
- 180 tonnes repaired, cleaned and resold or donated to charities such as Veterans Outreach Support and Marie Curie.
- 43 tonnes relocated to IBM’s York Road, Leicester and Hursley offices
- 1,900 tonnes of paper recycled
- 27,000 litres of diesel saved and reused by NHS
- 0 items to landfill
For more information on this zero-waste decommissioning project, please contact:
Paul Whatley
Partner
pwhatley@ridge.co.uk
See more: Zero Waste Decommissioning at IBM HQ
