Native Land has unveiled its sustainability strategy for Bankside Yards, which will make it the UK’s first major regeneration project with zero emissions in operation.
All-electric energy with heat pumps, optimised facades and high efficiency building services systems, combined with Native Land’s commitment to a green energy purchasing agreement, will achieve net zero carbon in operation.
Sustainability features at Bankside Yards include:
- The site is served by a low-temperature all-electric energy network to balance thermal energy across all of its 8 new buildings and 14 restored railway arches. Each building will ‘extract’ or ‘reject’ energy into a single thermal network serving the entire development, significantly reducing operational energy.
- ‘Intelligent’ data-led construction which learns as it goes. Collecting data throughout construction and applying artificial intelligence, engineers will learn how to design more efficient buildings in future phases of the development.
- The only underground robotic logistics network serving a major mixed-use development in central London, with ‘smart’ tugs distributing goods and waste within the estate, minimising disruption, congestion and truck movements. There will be no ground-level loading bays, releasing over 10,000 sq ft (8% of total public realm) of additional above-ground space for biodiversity, public space, amenity and active frontages.
- 3.5 acres of new public realm will be created from a former brownfield site. 150 new trees of 20 different species will be planted and biodiverse roofs will be on six of the development’s eight buildings .
Alasdair Nicholls, Chief Executive of Native Land, commented: ‘At Bankside Yards we are using energy-efficient technology on an unprecedented scale, aiming to set a new benchmark for sustainability in large, mixed-use regeneration schemes. This is part of an integrated, site-wide, multi-building strategy for carbon reduction and biodiversity.’
Compared with the GLA planning policy target of 35%, Bankside Yards will deliver over 50% reduction in CO2*. The carbon reduction achieved is 40,000 tonnes over 30 years, the equivalent of 20,000 trips from London to New York on a Boeing 747.
Construction of Bankside Yards West started October 2019 and the first building, the 223,000 sq ft Arbor office building, is due for completion in mid-2022.