Aermont achieves BREEAM Excellent for Manifattura Tabacchi refurbishment

Manifattura Tabacchi achieved BREEAM Excellent, transforming a former industrial building into a sustainable retail destination within Florence's landmark refurbishment and fit out project.

Overview

Manifatture Tabacchi is a mixed-use regeneration project that is transforming a former industrial site in Florence into a sustainable destination for retail, residential, office and cultural uses. As part of the wider development, Building 11 achieved BREEAM Excellent, recognising its sustainable refurbishment and contribution to the project's environmental performance.

About

Aermont is an international real estate investment manager specialising in the regeneration of complex urban developments. Through the redevelopment of Manifattura Tabacchi, Aermont is delivering a mixed-use neighbourhood that combines commercial, residential and public spaces while preserving the site's industrial heritage.

Background

Manifattura Tabacchi is one of Florence's largest urban refurbishment and fit out projects, transforming a former tobacco factory spanning more than 100,000 m² into a sustainable mixed-use development. The masterplan aims to create a new urban destination outside the historic city centre, bringing together residential, office, retail, hospitality and cultural uses while strengthening connections with the surrounding neighbourhoods.

Building 11 is located within the site's central courtyard alongside Buildings 4 and 5, which historically formed the production heart of the former factory. The building has been refurbished as a retail asset and incorporates a green roof, demonstrating how existing buildings can be adapted to support contemporary uses while contributing to the wider sustainability objectives of the development.

Challenges

The refurbishment of Building 11 required the project team to balance the preservation of the site's industrial heritage with the delivery of a modern, sustainable asset. As part of the wider Manifattura Tabacchi refurbishment, all buildings on the site are designated as heritage assets by the local authority, meaning the refurbishment was undertaken within strict conservation requirements.

Managing construction activities across the wider refurbishment project was also a key challenge, requiring effective coordination throughout the refurbishment. In addition, recreating biodiversity within a previously developed industrial site formed an important project objective.

These challenges were addressed through an integrated design and construction approach that enabled the project to meet both heritage and sustainability requirements while achieving BREEAM Excellent.

Solutions

Management

A BREEAM Accredited Professional was appointed to support the project throughout the design and construction stages, ensuring sustainability objectives were embedded from the outset and that the requirements for BREEAM Excellent were achieved. Regular workshops and coordination meetings aligned the project team on environmental strategies, while energy, water consumption and construction-related emissions were monitored throughout the refurbishment. Commissioning was undertaken by a qualified Commissioning Manager to verify the performance of the building services and Building Management System (BMS) before handover and during the first year of operation.

Health & Wellbeing

The refurbishment was designed to provide a healthy and comfortable indoor environment for future occupants. More than 90% of the usable floor area is located within 14 metres of a window, providing good levels of natural daylight and external views. An Indoor Air Quality Plan was implemented during construction to minimise sources of pollution and maintain air quality prior to occupation. Thermal comfort modelling, undertaken in accordance with international standards, confirmed that the building is expected to maintain comfortable internal conditions under future climate scenarios.

Energy

The project adopted a high-performance building services strategy to improve operational energy efficiency while respecting the building's historic character. High-efficiency water-to-water heat pumps, heat recovery ventilation, LED lighting and intelligent building controls were installed alongside improvements to the building envelope. An integrated Building Management System enables ongoing monitoring of energy use, supporting efficient operation throughout the building's lifecycle.

Transport

Water efficiency was improved through the specification of low water-use sanitary fittings, achieving a 58.08% improvement over the BREEAM reference building. Water consumption is monitored through an integrated metering system linked to the Building Management System, while a high-efficiency drip irrigation system helps reduce potable water demand for landscaping.

Materials

A whole-building life cycle assessment (LCA) informed material selection and evaluated the environmental impacts of the refurbishment. Responsibly sourced timber, together with a Sustainable Procurement Plan and a Material Efficiency Plan, supported the responsible use of resources, reduced material waste and promoted durability throughout the building's lifecycle.

Waste

The project incorporated dedicated facilities for the segregation and collection of recyclable waste to support sustainable building operation. Climate resilience and future adaptability were also considered through assessments of environmental risks, informing measures including the introduction of a roof garden, sustainable surface water management and design strategies that support the building's long-term performance.

Land Use & Ecology

Ecological enhancement formed an integral part of the refurbishment strategy. A qualified ecologist developed recommendations to improve biodiversity, including the creation of a roof garden and the installation of nesting habitats for bird and bat species. These measures were incorporated into the landscape design and are supported by a five-year ecological management plan to ensure their long-term maintenance.

Pollution

The building's services operate entirely on electricity, reducing operational emissions associated with heating and cooling. A hydraulic risk assessment informed the project's flood resilience strategy, while surface water management measures were incorporated into the design without increasing the extent of impermeable surfaces, supporting the site's long-term environmental performance.

Aermont believes that Florence is a city with an enormous potential and has chosen to invest in Manifattura Tabacchi to make it one of the most modern and innovative sites in Europe. The masterplan we have shown today is the result of a listening process that lasted over a year, because such a large-scale intervention must be designed together with the whole city. We are thinking of a new contemporary centre that will act as a counterpoint to the extraordinary historic centre. A new centre, capable of giving Florence a new international dimension, while preserving the style and history of its existing buildings

– Giovanni Manfredi, Italian Managing Director of Aermont

Benefits

BREEAM provided a structured framework that aligned the client, design team, contractor and wider project stakeholders around a common set of sustainability objectives. By embedding sustainability considerations throughout the design and construction process, the certification supported an integrated approach to decision-making, helping to balance the conservation of the site's historic character with the project's environmental performance ambitions.

The assessment process also encouraged collaboration across the project team, enabling sustainability objectives to be considered alongside design, construction and operational requirements from the earliest stages of the refurbishment.

Achieving BREEAM Excellent provides independent verification of the building's sustainability performance, demonstrating that the refurbishment meets recognised standards for environmental performance, resource efficiency and occupant wellbeing. Certification enhances the asset's sustainability credentials and supports its long-term resilience and operational performance.

As part of the wider regeneration of Manifattura Tabacchi, BREEAM certification also contributes to the attractiveness of the asset by providing occupiers, investors and other stakeholders with confidence in the quality and sustainability performance of the development. This is particularly valuable for a landmark mixed-use destination located beyond Florence's historic city centre, reinforcing its position as a high-quality and sustainable place to live, work and visit.