CUBE, the real estate industry’s first competition dedicated to empowering commercial buildings to make a significant contribution to net zero, has officially launched in the UK.
Since it was announced in June 2021, the nationwide competition has seen incredible momentum, signing up 9 leading industry names.
The participants encompass a diverse range of company sizes, sectors, locations and building types - comprising existing, heritage and newly refurbished commercial premises.
CUBE is designed to improve energy efficiency in the workplace through a fun, gamified competition that encourages simple behavioural change and building reprogramming. Crucially, it is designed to encourage closer collaboration between landlords, building managers and occupiers, promoting collective action towards shared goals to bring about substantial energy savings in their commercial buildings.
Photo: CUBE Organiser Kristin Marin
These early movers are set to pioneer an innovative new approach to driving energy efficiency improvements in their buildings, working together and sharing knowledge, best practice, and outcomes to lead the way in the wider industry’s journey to net zero.
The current list of CUBE participants:
- Leading UK real estate company Landsec put forward three commercial buildings in London – One New Change, 80-100 Victoria Street and New Street Square
- Developer, investor, and asset manager Stanhope has entered as a landlord, working in tandem with Savills and Enjoy-Work as property managers, committing four buildings in London: 2 Television Centre, White City Place MediaWorks, White City Place WestWorks and Chiswick Park Building 7
- In addition to the above, Savills, one of the world’s leading property agents, has also submitted five buildings
- TOG (The Office Group), provider of beautifully-designed flexible workspaces across the UK, has joined with two London buildings – one at Borough High Street and the other at Albert House in Old Street
- The Howard de Walden Estate, the owner of approximately 850 buildings across Marylebone, London, registered its historic head office at 23 Queen Anne Street in London’s Marylebone
- Real estate developer, the RO, has committed two buildings – One Dorset Street in Southampton and GNR8 Clarendon Road in Watford
- Property investor, developer, and asset manager, XLB Property, has submitted three buildings, all based in Manchester – The Tootal Buildings, 35 Dale Street and Fourways, all of which are Grade 2 Listed and over a century old
- Workspace, a leading provider of flexible office space for London’s brightest businesses, has signed up two buildings in the capital – heritage building The Leather Market in Bermondsey and new building The Frames in Shoreditch
- Dorrington, an established property investor and developer, has committed its own offices, based at 14 Hans Road in London’s Knightsbridge
Kristin Marin, who runs the competition in the UK, said: “We’re excited to welcome such an impressive community of participants to mark the launch of CUBE in the UK. In some cities, office buildings are losing a huge £60 million in wasted energy annually[1] so it’s encouraging to see genuine commitment from a growing group of industry leaders joining together to effect long-lasting transformation and drive positive environmental impact.
“CUBE is designed to inspire a fun, competitive spirit, demonstrating that small interventions in how we use buildings can add up to substantial changes in energy performance. We’re immensely proud of our pioneering group of early movers, and strongly encourage more landlords, occupiers, owners, building managers and employers to follow suit and join in!”
Now that the year-long competition has kicked off, the next step will be for all participants to mobilise their internal green teams and submit their historic energy data. CUBE engineers can then calculate baselines against which ongoing monthly performance and top ranked performers will be assessed. The first rankings will be revealed in May. Registration to the competition remains open until the end of April: https://www.cubecompetition.co.uk/
Organised by Ampersand Partners alongside founders A4MT, the competition is already proven in France, where it has run successfully for six years, delivering energy savings of up to 55% in a single year for participants including BNP Paribas, Carrefour and Orange.
