Foyles' flagship bookstore on Charing Cross Road in London has won the BREEAM 2015 retail award.

The project, which was undertaken by the Mace Group, involved the renovation of the dilapidated Saint Martin’s College into a 37,000 sq. ft. bookshop, the largest to be built in the UK this century.

The building was also shortlisted for a RIBA award and was designed with sustainability as a high priority. Energy consumption was reduced through thermally upgrading the retained façade, installing LED lighting and low carbon air source heat pumps. Grey-water recycling, green roofs and PV panels were also integrated into the development.


Mace Group's Harrison Keating and Steve Kellett oversaw site sustainability management, including BREEAM and Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) certification. Construction saw 99% of all timber FSC certified, 97% of all materials sustainably sourced and 95% of waste diverted from landfill.

The BREEAM assessment board commented: "The flagship store for Foyles is an exemplar retail store that has been built carefully and considerately using materials that are low polluting, have low embodied energy and are responsibly sourced."

Mace Business Unit Director Ged Simmonds commented: "The team delivered a fantastic result on a very challenging refurbishment project. I am delighted that this has recognised with such a prestigious award."

(IT)