Get some inspiration from some of the most sustainable buildings in the UK.
A prominent ESG concern affecting the UK real estate market is climate change. Due to the fact that buildings account for a significant amount of global carbon emissions, pressure is mounting on real estate developers and owners to decrease their carbon footprint and boost energy efficiency.
At Workero, we’re always on the lookout for inspiring workplaces and offices. We’re particularly drawn to innovative spaces that are ahead of the curve in terms of sustainability. With that in mind, we want to showcase some London structures that have caught our eye for their sustainability efforts.
Examples of sustainable buildings in London
- Bloomberg European Headquarters – 3 Queen Victoria St, London, UK
- 7MoreLondon, 7 More London Pl, London, UK
- The “Walkie Talkie”. 20 Fenchurch Street, Canary Wharf
- RSPB Environment & Education Centre, Purfleet RM19 1ZX, United Kingdom
- Roots in the Sky, 1 Pocock St, London SE1, United Kingdom
Bloomberg’s European headquarters in London
Copyright: James Newton Photographs
A major example of a sustainable building in London is Bloomberg’s European headquarters. As a LEED Platinum certified building, it uses 70% less water and 35% less energy than a typical office building. The building features a range of sustainability features, including an Integrated Petal-design Ceiling, Natural Ventilation, Smart Airflow, on-site water treatment plant and a Green ‘Living Wall’.
7MoreLondon, 7 More London Pl, London, UK
Arguably the capital’s greenest building. 7 More London was the first to receive a BREEAM1 Outstanding grade in England, the highest honour for sustainable characteristics. It continues to be a brilliant example of an earth-friendly structure. As the third most environmentally friendly building in the UK, it has an array of innovative features. The structure has green roofing, solar hot water panels, solar shading, heat recovery systems, fully automated metering facilities, and solar hot water panels.
20 Fenchurch Street, Canary Wharf
Another example of sustainable buildings in London is the 38-storey tower “Walkie-Talkie” skyscraper, nicknamed as such because of its distinctive shape. Designed by Architects Rafael Viñoly Architects & Adamson Associates, it was known as was one of the most sustainable buildings of its type in London.
The building featured the UK’s largest green wall, offering a plant and insect ecosystem important for nesting birds and valuable green infrastructure. 96.4% of all construction waste was diverted from landfill and various technologies such as roof mounted solar PV (photo voltaic) panels
Funny story about this building. Despite all the acclaim, there was one small problem that wasn’t accounted for during its construction. The south-facing facade of the building projected sunshine onto the streets below in 2013, melting the bodywork of a car. Despite this one glaring issue (excuse the pun), it’s really a sustainable triumph.
RSPB Purfleet Environment & Education Centre
We cannot mention this incredible sustainable building in London’s Outskirts enough. The RSPB, known for safeguarding birds, contributed to preserving the environment with its Purfleet structure. They completed the Environment and Education Centre back in 2006 in outer East London, meeting a high sustainability standard. Moreover, the building received an “Excellent” BREEAM certification.
Roots in the Sky
Finally, we would like to highlight the final example of sustainable buildings currently under construction in London, Roots in the Sky. The architects designed this building to be the most environmentally friendly office building in the city. The building will include the UK’s first rooftop urban forest. BuildinDigital reports that the project plans to use a lightweight hybrid steel and cross-laminated timber frame. Additionally, they will reuse the existing footings to preserve the first two storeys of the 1960s Blackfriars Crown Court.
Interested in making your workplace operations more sustainable? Reach out to the Workero team to learn more about our workplace solutions that could help you transform your operations.
