The 'Ska' Rating is a method for benchmarking the environmental performance of an office fit-out. It aims to improve the environmental outcomes related to office fit-out. The benchmarking method is based on good practice criteria with free, supporting information explaining the good practice measures that can be taken to meet those criteria. Anybody interested in fitting out an office building in a more environmentally sustainable way can use the method to:
Reasons for undertaking environmental rating/benchmarking vary and tend to be linked to the interests of different parties:
From a wider perspective in the long term, environmental benchmarking can improve the supply chains for materials, equipment and services used in office fit outs and contribute to reducing the global environmental impacts of the sector.
It is suggested that an independent professional body will maintain a list of approved assessors. It will run training courses for companies and individuals that want to join the register, in response to demand.
All the information about the rating method and all associated criteria and guidance will be available free on the website. Use of the online rating calculator will also be free for those who want to self-assess.
However, those wanting a certificate to substantiate their performance will need to undertake a formal assessment.
It is proposed that assessors would be required to pay a certification fee to obtain a certificate, which is likely to be recharged to the client at cost. The certification fee would cover the costs of administering the certification system.
Individual assessors will be free to set their own assessment fees corresponding to the time required to gather information and complete the assessment record. It is likely that many clients of the formal assessment process will also want additional support and guidance depending on the scope, scale and duration of the fit-out.
Yes, we think it is unusual. Fit-out costs are low relative to building construction costs so we felt that the cost of any environmental assessment method needed to be proportionately lower. We think that companies with a need to report on environmental performance are therefore likely to opt for formal assessments. The free self-assessment option will make the method accessible to everybody, particularly smaller projects. We are keen to encourage the widest possible use across the whole industry and achieve as great a positive impact as we can on practice and environmental outcomes.
BREEAM schemes exist for new and existing offices (and also for retail, and industrial buildings). At the time of writing there is no BREEAM scheme specifically designed for office fit-out. In any case, the philosophy behind the 'Ska' Rating is new and different from other building environmental assessment methods. We would like ongoing development to be collaborative along 'open source' lines.
Not officially. The method has been designed with office fit-out in mind, reflecting the interests of Skansen, who funded the research programme under which the method was developed. This has determined the scope and type of issues covered, the good practice criteria used, etc. It may well be possible to apply the method to fit-outs of other types of buildings, but the professional certifying body would only issue certificates for office fit-outs at this stage.