‘Outstanding’ BREEAM accreditation for latest building at Paradise
Three Chamberlain Square, Paradise and Birmingham’s latest and most sustainable commercial building, has been awarded a BREEAM Outstanding accreditation for the building’s construction stage – the highest environmental sustainability certification level acknowledging pioneering best practice and exemplary performance and awarded only to the top 1% of non-domestic buildings in the UK.
The 189,000 sq ft building, designed by award-winning architects Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCBS) and constructed by Sir Robert McAlpine, already has a BREEAM Outstanding rating for the design stage, but the hard work put into the initial stages of development and subsequent delivery have now been rewarded with a full Outstanding rating for the building – the first and only commercial office building in Birmingham to reach this level.
The announcement is another landmark moment for Paradise as well as MEPC – the specialist development arm of Federated Hermes delivering the £1.2bn estate. The building, which saw practical completion at the end of May 2025, stands at the leading edge of inclusive and contemporary modern workspace and has already generated huge interest with global firms CBRE, EY and Forvis Mazars all set to make it their new Birmingham home.
Alex Housden, senior development manager at Paradise developer and asset manager, MEPC, said:
This is a huge vote of confidence in both the approach to and delivery of Three Chamberlain Square as the most sustainable commercial building in the city and region. BREEAM Outstanding is a tough accreditation to achieve, and everyone involved in the design and creation of the building deserves congratulations in helping us all reach this well-deserved milestone.
Three Chamberlain Square is championing sustainability and innovation through the very latest design principles. The building has an independently reviewed NABERS 5* target rating at design stage – underlining the commitment by MEPC to delivering pioneering, low carbon and low energy buildings.
Award-winning sustainability consultancy Carbon. Climate. Certified. worked with the project team to develop and assess the BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ strategy.
Director, Shauna Buckley commented:
This is a well-deserved award for a building we’ve watched grow and fulfil its potential over the past three years, despite the very high standard that BREEAM Outstanding status demands. Grounded in sustainability, Three Chamberlain Square is an evolutionary leap forward and has been delivered by a truly collaborative approach by the whole project team, determined to reach this accolade.
The building’s other accolades also include Active Score Platinum, EPC ‘A’, Wired Score Platinum target rating and class leading levels of upfront embodied carbon, aligned to London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) band ‘B’. Three Chamberlain Square is engineered with game-changing sustainability measures at the fore, including its terracotta façade with 8,000 bespoke panels and 300 openable windows, all-electric heating and cooling infrastructure, and a SMART building design aimed at maximising occupant flexibility and wellbeing.
It is a building with a unique, low carbon design, and its accreditations underline its holistic, long-term commitment to sustainability and futureproofing. As the most sustainable commercial building in the city, Three Chamberlain Square also underlines the commitment of the wider Paradise estate to a net zero future and helps create a benchmark for delivering the final phase of development.