Here + Now: smart lighting integration for a BREEAM Outstanding building.

The development set a high benchmark for sustainable commercial office space. With 145,000 sq ft of workspace, net zero carbon credentials and a BREEAM Outstanding rating, Here + Now was designed to support the expectations of modern occupiers while helping the building operate more efficiently.

Scenariio was appointed to support the project through intelligent lighting integration, recommissioning and ongoing support. The result was a low-energy smart lighting system that retained much of the existing infrastructure, reduced waste and gave occupiers greater control over how their spaces are used.

Customer profile: BREEAM Outstanding commercial office campus.

Here + Now is a high-profile office campus in Reading, developed to attract occupiers looking for flexible workspace with strong sustainability, ESG and wellbeing credentials.

The project brought together BauMont Real Estate Capital and V7, with Overbury delivering the office fit-out and design works. The wider refurbishment focused on optimising existing buildings rather than starting again, helping reduce unnecessary waste while creating a workplace designed around people, performance and environmental responsibility.

The campus includes modern workplace amenities, indoor and outdoor fitness areas, cafés and external working spaces, all designed to support tenant experience and long-term occupier appeal.

The challenge: improving building performance while reducing waste.

The project required a lighting system that could support the development’s BREEAM Outstanding ambitions without unnecessary replacement of existing equipment.

For landlords, developers and facilities teams, this is one of the most practical challenges in sustainable refurbishment. A building may already have valuable infrastructure in place, but it needs to be recommissioned, upgraded and integrated so it can support modern workplace expectations.

At Here + Now, the existing intelligent lighting system needed to be brought back into effective use, upgraded with new software and adapted around the redesigned office environment. It also needed to support future tenant requirements, including feature lighting, daylight dimming, remote access and centralised monitoring.

The challenge was not simply to install new lighting. It was to help turn existing lighting infrastructure into a smarter, lower-energy system that supported the building’s sustainability strategy.

The solution: intelligent lighting integration for a smart building.

Scenariio recommissioned the existing intelligent lighting system and upgraded its software as part of the wider refurbishment works.

The team repositioned existing light fittings, replaced emergency lighting and helped bring the system back into operation quickly. This approach reduced the need for unnecessary replacement, helping minimise waste while supporting the project’s environmental goals.

Across the scheme, around 1,000 lights were connected using low voltage ethernet wiring. Each light had a sensor attached, with 23 smartengines supporting the system across 45,000 sq ft of the development.

When new tenants moved into the Now building, Scenariio returned to extend the system further. Remote gateways were installed to allow feature lighting and intelligent lighting to be integrated, including daylight dimming and dashboard-based monitoring.

Further gateways were later added so staff could control feature lighting in different parts of the office through the dashboard. This gave occupiers a more flexible, responsive system while giving building teams greater visibility across the lighting environment.

Smart lighting designed around BREEAM performance.

BREEAM certification assesses the sustainability of buildings across areas including energy, water, waste and transport. For smart buildings, lighting has a practical role to play because it affects energy use, user comfort, operational control and the ability to manage spaces more efficiently.

At Here + Now, Scenariio’s lighting integration supported these priorities by:

• Reducing waste through recommissioning and reuse of existing lighting infrastructure.
• Supporting lower energy use through intelligent lighting controls and daylight dimming.
• Improving visibility through dashboard-based monitoring.
• Enabling greater control for tenants and facilities teams.
• Creating a scalable foundation for future smart building technologies.

The system was designed so the building could evolve over time. Although the lighting continued to use some original hardware, the infrastructure was left with capacity for future additions such as indoor air quality sensors and Bluetooth beacons.

The outcome: a smarter, lower-energy workplace.

Scenariio helped Here + Now transform its lighting from legacy infrastructure into a smart building system aligned with the goals of a BREEAM Outstanding commercial office development.

The work supported the wider sustainability strategy by reducing waste, making better use of existing equipment and improving control across the building. It also helped create a more flexible environment for occupiers, with lighting that could adapt to different spaces, working patterns and tenant requirements.

For landlords and facilities teams, the project shows how intelligent lighting integration can support BREEAM certified buildings without a full rip-out and replacement approach. With the right recommissioning, controls and dashboard integration, existing lighting can become part of a smarter, more sustainable building strategy.

Project highlights.

Client: Here + Now, Thames Valley Park, Reading
Sector: Commercial office refurbishment
Building standard: BREEAM Outstanding
Project focus: Smart lighting integration, recommissioning and energy efficiency
Workspace: 145,000 sq ft campus
Lighting scope: Around 1,000 lights across 45,000 sq ft
Technology: Low voltage ethernet wiring, sensors, smart engines, remote gateways, daylight dimming and dashboard monitoring
Scenariio role: Recommissioning, software upgrade, integration, minor works, maintenance and support

Why sustainable buildings certifications like BREEAM are increasingly important?

For commercial landlords, property owners and facilities teams, BREEAM certification is increasingly linked to asset value, occupier expectations and ESG performance.

Here + Now demonstrates how smart lighting can support those goals in a practical way. By recommissioning and integrating existing lighting infrastructure, Scenariio helped reduce waste, improve control and create a scalable platform for future smart building technologies.

The result is a lower-energy lighting environment that supports both sustainability targets and everyday building operation.

With staff demanding flexible working and energy prices affecting companies’ profits, intelligent low energy lighting systems are increasingly in demand by landlords and facilities managers, while the BREEAM rating incentivises property owners to install the kind of high-tech equipment that Scenariio offers.

George Pritchard, technical director at Scenariio, said: “The Here + Now development is one of the most high-profile projects in the Thames Valley and we are very pleased to have got involved.

“V7 has huge plans for the development and at the heart of its campaign is promoting sustainability, combined with a focus on optimising employee health and wellbeing in order to attract and retain talent.

“We minimised waste by not ripping out and replacing the original lighting and the system was quick and easy to recommission, so everything was operational ahead of schedule.

“We’ve helped create a smart building which achieves both of V7’s objectives, but the lighting is just the start. Although everything is running on some of the original hardware, there are no power limitations, so we can add indoor air quality sensors and Bluetooth beacons with just small additions of kit.”

Established in 2013, Scenariio has previously carried out work on behalf of Gymshark, Severn Trent Water, Tarmac, LKAB, Mondelez and Carlsberg Group, among others.

The article was originally published on 4th April 2023 and updated on 24/06/2026.