The Entopia Building triumphs at the CIBSE Building Performance Awards
The Entopia Building has been recognised with two prestigious awards at the Building Performance Awards: Project of the Year – Retrofit Workplaces and the Building Performance Champion award.This landmark achievement highlights the exceptional whole-life building performance of the project, which sets a new standard for sustainable retrofit design.
The judges praised the project for delivering an exemplary transformation of a 1930s telephone exchange into a high-performance, low-energy workspace. Despite a robust and challenging brief, the team has successfully created a workplace that performs on par with brand-new office buildings while demonstrating a commitment to circular economy principles and user wellbeing.
“Entopia is proof that with ingenuity and collaboration, it is possible to achieve outstanding building performance while working within the constraints of a typical refurbishment budget. The project is a trailblazer for large commercial buildings moving towards net zero, and it is fully deserving of these fantastic awards. Congratulations to everyone who was involved.”
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The retrofit has achieved industry-leading certifications, including EnerPHit Classic, WELL Gold, and BREEAM Outstanding. A fabric-first approach significantly improved the thermal performance of the five-storey office, reducing plant requirements and enabling efficient control of internal conditions.
By integrating sustainable design strategies such as a highly efficient MVHR ventilation system, night-time purge ventilation, and a reversible heat pump, Entopia minimises its reliance on mechanical cooling while ensuring long-term resilience against climate change. The project also prioritised whole-life carbon reduction, with 48% of specified materials being bio-based and extensive reuse of existing building components. With an operational strategy that prioritises user wellbeing while delivering an operational energy reduction in excess of 80% when compared to the pre-refurbishment performance, Entopia is setting a new benchmark for sustainable retrofit design.
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Entopia’s pioneering approach to circular design saw steel repurposed from a film studio for the rooftop photovoltaic canopy, 350 light fittings reused from a London fit-out, and a reception desk sourced from a Netflix project. These efforts contributed to a 21,000kg CO2e reduction and earned the project a BREEAM Innovation point.
The project team worked closely to ensure high levels of occupant satisfaction, implementing a user-centric operational strategy with comprehensive commissioning, monitoring, and feedback mechanisms.
The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership envisioned Entopia as a vibrant, collaborative headquarters that champions sustainability, circularity, and wellbeing. The result is an inspiring workspace that not only demonstrates the potential of deep retrofit but also serves as a model for future projects aiming to cut carbon, promote health, and create engaging places to work.
Further Reading
Entopia Building, CISL
A world first for a retrofitted sustainable office, setting new standards for low energy use, carbon emissions and impact on natural resources.
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Entopia Building Case Study
The story behind the ultra-sustainable retrofit of CISL’s new home in Cambridge
Building Services Engineering
Our team of experts work seamlessly from day one to craft innovative, low-carbon solutions tailored to each project.
