by skarating | Dec 11, 2025 | Case Studies, Podcast
In our latest episode, we unpack how Wagamama’s Clarks Village restaurant became a standout example of sustainable fit-out in action — with insights from:
Alex Neil, Group Head of Construction, Wagamama
Stewart Muir, Senior Technical Consultant & SKA Assessor, Bioregional
Together, they share what it really takes to embed sustainability into a fast-paced construction programme.
Here’s a taste of what you’ll hear:
- Why setting a baseline is the most important step — and how it shaped the whole project
- Energy results that surprised everyone — including a 14–20% reduction through better monitoring
- What a 50% rise in water costs taught the team about the value of real-time data
- How recycled chopsticks, ocean-waste plastic chairs and furniture reuse brought circularity to life
- The growing role of suppliers — and why contractor engagement has never mattered more
- How sustainability became a competitive (and fun) part of Wagamama’s operations
- A behind-the-scenes look at assessing with SKArating — and why achieving Gold was a team sport
Alex and Stewart also share how the project shifted internal culture, supported net-zero commitments, and demonstrated the commercial benefits of smarter energy and water systems.
If you’re exploring SKArating for the first time — or looking to elevate your approach — this episode is packed with practical, real-world insights.
Listen to the podcast and follow SKArating below:
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by skarating | Jul 11, 2025 | Case Studies
Circularity is one of SKArating’s key strategic environmental aims and is linked to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals ‘Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production’. All our scheme updates, starting with Offices v2.0 in 2025, are mainly awarding active circularity on project assessments instead of just diversion from landfill. This new lift to benchmarks is a follow-on from the earlier lift seen in the Higher Education v1.0 scheme and reflects current industry good practice.
Circularity is a fundamental part of SAS International’s ESG programme. SAS are Cradle to Cradle certified Bronze for over 75% of the products designed and manufactured. SAS are committed to providing clients with low embodied carbon materials and adaptable and reusable products. Since 2023, SAS has actively engaged with UK clients, offering a feasibility-led take-back service for both closed-loop and open-loop circularity projects.
The partnership between SKArating and SAS is intended to support both organisations’ aims to enable circularity on interior fit-out projects across professional teams and supply chains. Both SKArating and SAS will endeavour to share knowledge on circular economy from interior fit-out projects to benefit the market and wider industry. We’re excited to see how this will manifest over the forthcoming years.
SKArating invited the team at SAS International to share solutions and know-how related to circularity in practice on their most recent take-back and re-use project at Winchester House, 75 London Wall.
The shell and core refurbishment are using another assessment methodology suited to whole building projects, and the use of SKArating is down to each future tenant to adopt as part of their interior fit-out project.
Background
Built in 1998, formerly known as Winchester House and once the London HQ for Deutsche Bank, 75 London Wall is being redeveloped as a modern, sustainable Grade A office destination.
The asset owner Castleforge, in tandem with development partner Gamuda, plan to bring to market a retrofitted 12-storey scheme designed to the highest BREEAM and NABERS standards. Offering 465,000sqf of best-in-class office space, high-quality finishes, desirable amenities and a central London location, the retrofit first approach for the scheme delivers future-proofed prime real estate. Orms’ architectural design is blending urban influences with the elegance of the existing structure, resulting in a building that is both visually striking and highly functional.
The design approach by Orms and the client team is adopting an efficient resource strategy by avoiding the installation of ceilings on all floors as part of the shell and core project. This is following repeated calls by the industry in recent years to prevent high volumes of wasted ceiling panels by tenants once they take a space and start design and refurbishment. Ceilings are being installed only in the new marketing suite to showcase the building’s potential and support potential tenants to assess it against their needs.
SAS International have supplied quality metal ceilings into this building since the initial 1998 development and has consistently revisited the building to replenish, refurbish or undertake remedial works. There are strong records of all the product types, quantities and locations they have installed, which demonstrates the groundwork done already to assist with circularity management.
Solution
With the departure of the incumbent tenant, SAS have agreed with Castleforge and ORMS to take-back 1,800m² of suspended ceiling tiles with plans to refurbish the products and re-instate 1,500m² into a dedicated marketing suite due to be completed in 2028. This agreement is a testament to circularity and evidential in demonstrating how SAS products are durable enough to perform in a second, and hopefully third life scenario.
Lessons & Insights
What drivers made this happen?
- Early engagement and commitment from the asset holder were critical in the process, ensuring the appropriate handling of the products during disassembly and site storage pre-collection. ORMS drove this initiative and enabled it through their design proposals.
- The exposure and risk of costs for the re-used ceiling tiles sits with SAS until an actual order is sent through by the contractor during the procurement phase. SAS must fund the storage of these tiles for approximately 4 years.
What was the main challenge that had to be overcome so far?
- Timing and logistics in coordination with the deconstruction team is the challenge but is overcome by means of early engagement and close collaboration.
What insights could help others implement close-loop circularity?
- Clear communication from the project stakeholders with a top-down imperative for re-use. Incremental steps starting with a few floors demonstrate a practical and achievable approach to circularity. Promoting communication and collaboration at the earliest stage, and working towards building confidence between manufacturers, building owners and project stakeholders.
- Designers and project managers creating space for these circular approaches to be reviewed and implemented with the supply chains.
- Providing greater levels of commitment to manufacturers that the returned products will be taken back and not replaced, changed, etc… leaving them with unsold stock. Set up tracking systems inside manufacturers’ data records and collaborate with asset tagging services to link products with the stock records.
- Provide circularity information to clients for their records and access at end of life of the ceilings or next refurbishment project.
What is being worked on to support the circular offering?
- SAS’s journey is still evolving with many lessons learnt and insights gained. This includes being agile in the way the company responds to circularity requests due to short notice, proactive responses to site conditions and logistics, and being willing to work around challenges in tandem with the project team.
- Currently, SAS take-back and re-use is a limited and selective service provision due to infrastructure requirements that a full offering would demand. Due to constraints like storage and logistics, SAS can currently work with a managed number of clients on projects where conditions are clear, operations are well managed, and outcomes are pre-defined. As learnings and experiences improve, and as the market increases circularity demands, SAS hope to extend the service to match the market appetite, creating a sustainable and flourishing economic system for all concerned.
Circular Opportunity
As tenants are engaged to occupy the whole or part of the building in the years ahead, they will be able to design and deliver their interior spaces using SKArating. The Offices scheme drives and awards the end-of-life and new life cycle for ceilings when they form part of a pre-loved or closed-loop circularity solution. This will deliver against the Materials and Waste ceilings measures and contribute more widely to the embodied carbon reductions, aligning to Net Zero. SAS are looking to explore Material Passports and asset tagging provisions next. Equally, SAS’s CRM system captures and holds over 30-years of product and project information that is ready to be used for designers and clients looking for circular products. In this respect, SAS retain a wealth of information on where their products are installed and their re-use potential. Due to the standardised sizes of popular products like SAS130 and SAS330, their acoustic and fire credentials and EPD’s, these systems are ideal for circularity in office environments.
Closing thoughts
SAS International products strengthen circular approaches in interior design and fit-out due to the adaptable and durable qualities of metal. Modular ceilings like these, manufactured by SAS, fall within the SKArating framework for good practice in design.
SKArating provides landlords, designers, and fit-out contractors with good practice measures for selecting products that contribute to sustainable design and product selection. By designing the reuse of the SAS products at 75 London Wall, Orms demonstrate how these systems can be recirculated to minimise environmental impact while meeting high aesthetic and performance standards.
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