Landsec tops out the UK’s first net zero office development

Landsec’s landmark net zero carbon commercial office development, The Forge, today celebrates its topping out, where the building reaches its full height, at the 140,000 sq. ft scheme behind the Tate Modern at Bankside.

Comprising two new office buildings and a public courtyard, The Forge is the UK’s first net zero carbon commercial development recognised by the UK Green Building Council as aligning with its framework definition of net zero carbon in construction and operations, and the first office to be built using the highly sustainable platform approach to design for manufacture and assembly (P-DfMA). 

The project has been awarded funding from Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, for its innovative design and ground-breaking construction techniques, which has contributed to a circa. 25% reduction to date in embodied carbon from the initial design stage. Landsec hopes The Forge will act as a catalyst for more sustainable and efficient construction across the industry. The scheme is due for completion at the end of 2022.

David Heaford, Managing Director, Development at Landsec said: “Demand for high quality office space that puts net zero goals of businesses and the wellbeing of their people front and centre has grown exponentially in the last year. We all need to be transitioning to net zero, and one of the key ways a business can reduce its carbon footprint is in its real estate, which is reflected in the conversations we’re having with prospective customers. 

“The Forge is a landmark development and we’re excited about its potential to transform the industry. The learnings that come from the use of pioneering construction techniques will be shared across the industry at large – and we hope this will be the first of many net zero carbon buildings to come.”
 
The Forge is designed by architects Piercy & Co and Bryden Wood, and construction is led by a joint venture between Mace and Sir Robert McAlpine.

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