No. 1 Shanghai, a 180m tall, 34 storey commercial tower created by state developer the Shanghai International Shipping Service Centre (SISSC) has achieved an Outstanding design rating under BREEAM, the world’s foremost sustainability standard for buildings.
No. 1 Shanghai, a 180m tall, 34 storey commercial tower created by state developer the Shanghai International Shipping Service Centre (SISSC) has achieved an Outstanding design rating under BREEAM, the world’s foremost sustainability standard for buildings. 
The building will act as the flagship for SISSC in the £4bn marina development located on the bank of the Huangpu River, which is comprised of offices, retail, and other amenities. The building is a steel-concrete structure and provides over 64,000m2 floor space and uses water from the Huangpu River for its water source heat pump and ice storage cooling systems.
The building design minimises the need for energy and takes advantage of the on-site renewable energy centre that is the primary energy source for the whole marina development. Water efficient fittings and fixtures have been used throughout the building design to minimise the water consumption, and flood-mitigation systems have been designed into the development, which lies within 150m of the river, which is prone to overflowing onto the banks.
The project scores highly for enhancing the ecological value of its site. The previously contaminated docklands are now home to publicly accessible green space featuring a range of indigenous tree and plant species, which enhance the natural environment of the development.
Environment secretary Elizabeth Truss said: “I want to see more collaboration like this between China and the UK – across our two nations we have a wealth of expertise and knowledge that when shared can produce fantastic results, generating jobs and investment in our economies.”
Managing director of SISSC Mr He Binwu said, “We are transforming the old contaminated docklands on the North Bund in Shanghai into a vibrant commercial hub for international business. This building is another demonstration of our commitment to and investment in sustainable development. Our collaboration with BRE and other leading UK companies have helped us to achieve the highest rating under the international BREEAM standard. We plan to complete the building construction this year and it will become the new headquarters for SISSC.”
No 1. Shanghai is the first high-rise building in China to achieve an outstanding design rating under BREEAM. It also achieves level three of China’s 3 Star Green Building standard, and provides another example of how BREEAM can be adapted to allow the building design to meet both local and international standards and benchmarks.
Director of BRE China Jaya Skandamoorthy said: “The latest BREEAM standard is now gaining increasing traction in China following a number of government supported collaborative initiatives on sustainable development between China and the UK. This is now providing us with the local data and benchmarks to carry out the research to further adapt the BREEAM standard to meet China’s local climate conditions, regulations and standards, and support the Chinese government to grow the green building market in China.”