London's most sustainable building

Property investor AshbyCapital and developer Janson Urban have partnered with sustainability consultancy Carbon Intelligence on The Kensington Building, creating one of London’s most sustainable office buildings.

The Kensington Building is a new 130,000 sq ft office and retail development in Q1, 2022. It has already reduced embodied carbon by 35 per cent compared to a typical new-build office[2] by reusing and repurposing as much of the previous building as possible, including 78 per cent of the substructure and 48 per cent of the superstructure.

The partnership with Carbon Intelligence aims to continue this rigorous approach to sustainability as the building becomes operational, fine-tuning its energy performance by capturing and analysing granular data from the building’s network of smart system sensors to reduce operating costs, energy demand and carbon impact, as well as optimising the internal environment to improve health, wellbeing and productivity.

Peter Ferrari, chief executive of AshbyCapital, said: “Our intention at The Kensington Building is to create an exciting and inspiring new place to work that is fully aligned with modern occupiers’ requirements. ESG is at the top of the agenda, and our collaboration with Carbon Intelligence reflects a desire to go above and beyond existing benchmarks.

“This approach does not end with sustainability: ceiling heights of up to five metres give the office floors grand proportions providing an exceptional volume of workspace; over 12,900 sq ft of landscaped terraces offer healthy and tranquil spots to work outside, take a break or hold summer events; and the local area offers an abundance of dining, drinking, socialising, relaxing, cultural and wellness options – as well as excellent transport links – giving those based here an exceptional working lifestyle.”

In addition to reducing embodied carbon, sustainability has been a critical consideration during the building’s construction. 100% of demolition and excavation waste has been diverted from landfills, alongside 99.4 per cent of construction waste.

Features contributing towards energy efficiency and sustainability in the building’s operation include rooftop photovoltaics, a heat recovery plant, LED lighting and smart controls via a bespoke building app. All the building’s electricity comes from renewable sources, and it has a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’.

A total of 12,971 sq ft of landscaped terraces, designed by Gillespies Landscape Architects, will include fully managed beehives, contributing towards ecology and biodiversity.

Jonathan Sykes, executive chairman, Carbon Intelligence, said: “With the built environment contributing about 40per cent of the UK’s carbon footprint, it’s imperative that investors follow AshbyCapital’s leading example of evaluating the footprint of the development process as well as reducing the operational carbon footprint of their buildings.”

The Kensington Building is the first new headquarters office building in Kensington in over 35 years.

It is located next door to High Street Kensington tube station, putting the whole of London within reach. The building has been designed to WELL Standard Gold and incorporates 165 ground-floor cycle parking spaces, a bicycle repair station, luxury changing facilities, complimentary towels, hairdryers, and hair straighteners.

Award-winning architects Pilbrow & Partners has designed a next-generation workplace, where choices of materials, levels of natural light, improved air quality and generous proportions contribute to enhanced wellness and productivity for those working at the building.

[2] 640kgCO2/m2 vs a typical new-build office (LETI Benchmark) of 1000kgCO2/m2

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