Ska Rating

Ska Rating will help organisations make informed decisions about fit-out projects in the context of the growing importance of sustainability on the corporate agenda, and a burgeoning statute book.

Ska Rating is designed to be of particular use for occupiers but has benefits for other property stakeholders, including landlords, developers, consultants, fit-out contractors and members of the supply chain.

For occupiers and tenants

• Measure sustainability impact accurately
  Whether you are a tenant of a single office doing a one-off fit-out or a major corporate occupier, Ska Rating is the first system designed to measure 100% of the sustainability of your fit-out and decide what is most important. The rating is influenced entirely by what you choose to do, not by what has been done in the past

• Manage the bottom line
  By following good practice, occupiers may be able to reduce costs such as utilities bills, facilities' staff time, paper and travel. Using energy efficient methods and appropriate recycling should lead to a reduction in resource consumption and improved efficiency. Ska is a decision-making tool which ranks the different aspects of a fit-out based on what will have the biggest impact on sustainability. It can therefore be used to help the design team achieve maximum sustainability for a given budget 

• Follow good practice
  Environmental sustainability is already a point of compliance for the majority of SMEs and all corporates and government entities. However there is no method available to them for fit-outs to help achieve any measure of sustainability

• Legal/statutory compliance
  Corporate responsibility is a key emerging area for companies, led by legislation. Under Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006, company directors are required to promote the success of the company and must have 'regard to the impact of the company's operations on the community and the environment'. Occupiers face board-level demand for sustainability

• Helps with the decision-making process
  Ska is based on robust guidance which dispels a lot of myths: sustainability is not just a luxury for big companies that can afford it. Ska rates what is actually important and makes the biggest impact in terms of sustainability. It adds another dimension beyond cost and quality to assess fit-out projects

• Are you ISO 14001 accredited?
  A Ska certificate helps you ensure that a fit-out project is rated accurately and can be used to support your environmental management system

• Customer, investor and stakeholder perception
  A Ska Rating certificate can help an organisation demonstrate that it takes sustainability seriously and has achieved a standard with its property. This can feature in annual reports, environmental policy or tender documentation, or be displayed in a building

• Staff engagement
  Many employees (whether existing staff members or potential recruits) increasingly place a value on a company's green credentials, and wish to work in high-quality spaces. A Ska Rating can be used to reinforce staff morale and complements other CSR activity

For developers and landlords

• Use Ska Rating to set targets, use the formal assessment process to assure yourself that target performance standards are met, and finally use the certificate to report performance to stakeholders

• Benchmark the sustainability of fit-outs across a portfolio of buildings

• Include the use of the RICS Ska Rating in 'Green Lease' provisions to help drive up the sustainability of properties or protect a building already certified under a whole building assessment method

• Sustainability increasingly makes good business sense. Research demonstrates an expected increase in the asset value of labelled low-carbon buildings compared with standard speculative buildings

  (see RICS research into US commercial offices Doing Well by Doing Good)

For consultants

• Embed Ska Rating in your standard processes to demonstrate that you follow a sustainable specification and procurement process for fit-outs  

• Use the Ska Rating tool and datasheets to support the delivery of professional advice to clients on good practice in sustainable fit-outs, and to assess their designs and projects

• Offer Ska Rating certificated assessments to clients who wish to demonstrate they have achieved a more sustainable fit-out through the Ska Rating Accredited Assessors scheme

For contractors

• Use the assessment process and related guidance to make your design, specification, procurement and construction practices more environmentally sustainable

• Demonstrate your sustainability credentials to clients and consultants by making the targeting of standards under Ska Rating part of your standard tender process