London's most sustainable office is block of wood as builders branch out

Times

3 days ago

On the site of an old Costa Coffee roastery in Vauxhall, one of London's most unique office spaces has opened its doors.
Paradise SE11 — aptly named, given its location on Old Paradise Street and its deep connection with nature — is the latest in a growing number of timber workspaces across the city proving that net zero carbon buildings can be as beautiful as they are sustainable.
This one is arguably the most unusual. Sandwiched between the train tracks at Waterloo station on one side — such is the proximity that when trains stop, it is perfectly feasible to catch a glimpse of passengers' book titles — and a public park and tree canopy on the other, the six-storey, emerald structure is the only space in London where a timber environment in such a dense urban location butts up against green space.
It is also the lowest-carbon mass-timber office development in the UK, can be deconstructed and recycled when it reaches the end of its life cycle, and packs a hefty architectural punch. As far as showcases for sustainable development go, it is pretty compelling.
That's not to say timber development is without risk. Fear of getting caught up in lengthy, not to mention costly, insurance hurdles due to the potential for fire and water damage remains a deterrent for many developers. However, for a bold few, the benefits of looking beyond more commonly used materials, such as steel and concrete, have prompted a wave of ambitious timber developments across London. Developments, say the teams behind them, that have the power to save the planet and make us happier and healthier.
'Being surrounded by timber, rather than steel or concrete, just feels different,' says Theo Michell, chief operating officer of Bywater Properties, the developer behind the Paradise building. 'It even smells and sounds different.'
He's right, it does. The exposed wooden ceilings and vast 800kg timber columns zigzagging around its internal perimeter are, first and foremost, structurally essential. They are also architecturally arresting. And they bring a softness and a sense of calm to the space, both in terms of the aesthetic, brought to life by the architects Feilden Clegg Bradley, and the acoustics.
'Here we are in an unashamedly urban location,' says Michell as another packed train flies past the floor-to-ceiling third-floor windows. 'And yet, all around us, is a natural material that not only reduces carbon, but makes people feel better.'
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Indeed, a growing body of evidence suggests that spending time in spaces made from natural materials can lower our blood pressure and heart rate, elevate our mood and reduce cognitive fatigue by 40 per cent. 'Research clearly shows that wooden buildings provide better air quality, reduce stress and increase productivity,' says Annica Anas, chief executive of Atrium Ljungberg, the Swedish developer building Wood City in Stockholm which, at 2.5 million sq ft, will become the largest mass-timber project in the world when it is completed in 2027.
While no one is taking a punt on an entirely wooden district in London just yet, projects such as Timber Square, the developer LandSec's 370,000 sq ft net zero mixed-use scheme, designed by Bennetts Associates, are paving the way for increasingly large-scale examples of a timber-led urban realm. It will be completed later this year on Lavington Street in Southwark.
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'Timber construction has the potential to transform London into a greener, healthier city, reducing carbon emissions, improving air quality and creating spaces that connect people with nature, all while supporting sustainable urban growth,' says Marcus Geddes, LandSec's managing director for the building. 'We know that businesses are also increasingly focused on occupying low-carbon, high-quality office space.'
When it comes to the environmental impact, carbon stats are definitive. The Black and White Building, London's tallest mass-timber office in Shoreditch, designed by Waugh Thistleton Architects, which has an entirely wooden structure on concrete foundations, generates 37 per cent less embodied carbon than a concrete building. It equates to a saving in excess of 1,000 tonnes of CO₂.
Even hybrid projects, such as Paradise and Timber Square, where wood is used alongside other materials, are infinitely more sustainable than their fully concrete and steel counterparts. Paradise has removed 1,800 tonnes of CO₂ from the atmosphere, the equivalent to the carbon emissions of building 24 homes — a calculation that includes the emissions derived from sourcing and transporting the timber from Austria, which supplies most of Europe.
It helps that wooden buildings are quick to build. 'Paradise's timber structure went up in about 20 weeks, all told,' says Michell. 'That was with just seven people on site for the most part; a crane operator and six others bolting the pieces of timber together like a giant Meccano set.'
Of course, it's not all plain sailing. 'There is a perception that timber buildings might be uninsurable,' he says. 'In our experience, the process has been complicated and technical, but not insurmountable.'
Nor does the plethora of insurance-related hurdles mean timber developments are unsafe. In an office context, insurance issues are not so much based on a concern about the safety of inhabitants, but against the loss of the building. A loss that, contrary to widespread belief, is more likely to occur because of water damage than fire.
It is one of many misconceptions and challenges that Michell believes will subside as more timber projects get built. 'Plenty of sceptics thought we were crazy,' he says. 'Now, larger developers are intrigued by what we have done and the best thing would be for them to swing in behind us because, once we build up a pattern of these projects, that sets a precedent and life gets much easier. We never expected to be pioneers.'
Standing on the third floor of a former Costa Coffee roastery in one of London's most unique new office buildings, the scent of freshly cut wood in the air, pioneers rather says it all.