The Prime Minister's residence and office space at 10 Downing Street has won a BREEAM award for sustainability.

The Prime Minister's residence has been given a sustainable building award in recognition of its improved energy efficiency.

BREEAM said 10-12 Downing Street made more progress than any other building in the UK over the past year.

It awarded the building the In-use Special Award following an assessment of the improvements put in place over the 12 months from March 2011.

New boilers and low-energy lights illuminated via motion detection are among the technologies installed in the building to boost its eco credentials.

Other sophisticated additions include using IT equipment to heat water, channelling rainwater from the building into a tank underneath the garden to use when there is a drought, as well as more conventional measures such as better insulation.

In a public display of the building's commitment to environmental sustainability, the 10 Downing Street website even shows various real-time data on energy consumption in the building.

Its energy use over the 12-month period assessed is said to have been 13.5% lower than in the equivalent period a year earlier.

While 10 Downing Street was perhaps the most high-profile winner at this year's BREEAM awards, an intriguingly diverse mix of other buildings picked up gongs for their environmental performances.

A Waitrose store in Bracknell is one of the 17 being presented with an award at the EcoBuild show, alongside the likes of Liverpool's Edge Lane Hospital and Newport magistrates court.

Sites in mainland Europe were also among the winners, including the Challenger commercial development in France which was victorious in the International Offices category.

The UK is home to this year's Industrial winner, though, which went to Armstrong Point in Wigan.

Other prize winners from the commercial property sector include Newcastle's Cobalt Data Centre 2, Five Pancras Square in London and One Angel Square in Manchester.