Roots in The Sky

The Works

The existing 1960s building provided a starting point for Fabrix and design team to develop an office building with generous volumes and adaptable floor plates of up to 40,000 sq ft. Using the existing foundations and retaining the first two storeys, Symmetrys introduced a lightweight hybrid steel and CLT frame, with the ability to support the urban forest – and its 1300 tonnes of soil and 1.5m deep tree pits – at the heart of the brief.

Pre-purchase advice sought to create winning bid
The re-use of existing foundations reduce the embodied carbon energy
Lightweight Hybrid Steel and CLT Frame support London’s Largest Roof Top Urban Forest

The existing hardstanding site will be demolished and a new building and basements constructed. Due to existing site constraints, limited SuDS options were available. Attenuation tanks with built-in rainwater harvesting capabilities installed below street level will restrict surface water to the flow rate stipulated by Thames Water. The stored water will be re-used within the building thus reducing demand on mains water supply, increasing energy efficiency and delivering a sustainable benefit.