FORE Partnership, developer of Manchester’s most sustainable office building, Windmill Green, recently announced that it has achieved B Corporation status.
One of a select group of UK real estate firms to become a B Corp, FORE now joins approximately 360 other businesses in the UK that have made this legally-binding pledge to put people, planet, and profit on equal footing.
FORE has demonstrated its social and environmental commitment as part of the certification process, and has accepted responsibility to take into account the interests of workers, the community and the environment as well as its shareholders.
The accreditation means that Windmill Green is the only building in Manchester to have been designed, built and now operated by a B Corp-certified developer.
Windmill Green is FORE’s flagship development in Manchester. Amongst its green credentials, the Grade A office space holds a BREEAM Outstanding rating, a Platinum CyclingScore accreditation, hosts a fleet of the most innovative solar PV panels ever installed in the UK, and partners with both SwiftyScooters and Brompton Bicycles to promote healthy, green travel.
The building is also home to an apiary, giving thousands of bees a safe place to work and thrive, as well as Manchester’s largest green living wall.
Basil Demeroutis, managing partner at FORE, said: “Becoming a B Corporation is a great achievement for us. It signals the success of our mission to contribute positively to our communities and the environment, and recognises the passion with which we pursue these goals.”
He added: “Whilst Windmill Green is not a B Corporation in itself, it is part of the wider vision that drove FORE to pursue B Corp certification. Windmill Green is a wonderful case study for green development, as it exemplifies the sustainable possibilities within commercial real estate and is a real beacon of ecological design.”
Windmill Green recently took home the Innovation Award at this year’s British Council for Offices (BCO) Awards 2020, in which it was praised for its sustainable, comprehensive retrofit and refurbishment.
The scheme has welcomed a bevy of future-focused brands, including CBRE’s flexible workspace offering, Hana.
