Office that uses heat from Tube gets green light

A net-zero carbon office development that will use heat from the Tube network below has won planning permission from Southwark Council in London.

The scheme, proposed by Transport for London (TfL) and designed by architect Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, has been designed to achieve BREEAM Outstanding and WELL Platinum, making it only the second building in the UK to do so.

The 17-storey, cross-laminated timber building will sit above Southwark Tube and will retain the station entrance, ticket hall, and lightwells down to the Jubilee line platforms.

At 75m tall, it will offer 26,500m2 of commercial office space and 230m2 of retail space on the ground floor. It is expected to be completed by the mid 2020s.

It has been designed to achieve carbon reductions of 40%, compared to the London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) ‘business-as-usual benchmark’. The building extract waste heat from the Tube station below to help heat it and will employ next-generation air source heat pumps, solar panels and high-performance building materials, the development will achieve a 44% reduction in operational carbon emissions.

The technology will be combined with green power purchasing agreements and carbon offsets to achieve net zero at practical completion.

Scott Anderson, head of property development at TfL, said: “Sustainability has been a core focus during the development process, alongside meaningful community engagement, to make sure that we build something that will make a long-term, beneficial difference as the city and businesses embark upon a green recovery. Down to the construction materials used for the building and the placement of colours, the development’s features have been chosen to reflect and complement the local area and make it something TfL, Southwark and the local community can be proud of.”

Paul Monaghan, founding director at Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, said: “We are delighted that the proposal has received planning approval. This project will see the creation of new office and retail spaces – including affordable workspace – and bring new opportunities to the local area. The building includes a range of low carbon innovations and aims to achieve the highest environmental standards. We look forward to working with TfL on the next stage of the project.”