Welput, a specialist central London office fund managed by BentallGreenOak (BGO), has appointed Gleeds as cost consultant and employer’s agent on the £235 million 105 Victoria Street, the largest all-electric office in the UK, due to commence this year.
At 500,000 sq ft, it’s the largest speculative West End office scheme to ever come forward, having achieved Westminster City Council’s single largest-ever commercial building consent in April 2021.
The development goes well beyond industry standards for sustainability, set to not only achieve operational net zero, but net zero embodied carbon, thanks to innovations in ultra-low carbon construction. The scheme will minimise the development’s carbon intensity such that the emitted carbon will be offset within six years of the new building’s operations in comparison to the retention and refurbishment of the existing building.
BGO has committed to the development’s energy being supplied from fully renewable sources, with no gas supply and no diesel generator on-site, ensuring zero fossil fuels in operation and during construction. As a result, the building is designed to meet EPC A and WELL ‘Platinum’ certification and exceed RIBA 2030 sustainability targets as well. The scheme is also the UK’s first office building to target a combined BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ and 5.5* NABERS rating, the world-leading environmental performance rating tool which rates the operational energy use of offices.
Comprising two basement levels, retail units at ground level, one storey of co-working and affordable workspace, and 14 further storeys of office space above, the development will create a new kind of community-focused, experiential building in Victoria. Designed to foster the health and wellbeing of its end users, it will also provide almost 30,000ft² of greenspace and terracing – the largest of any commercial building in the West End.
Commenting on the appointment John Lucas, Director, Cost Management, at Gleeds, said, “This is a hugely exciting project, and I am delighted that our sustainability credentials have earnt us a place on its delivery team. BGO has engaged partners who are aligned with its own ESG vision, and who can step up to the mark and meet its sustainability and social impact requirements. In the wake of the pandemic, this ambitious investment demonstrates a confidence in the future of London as a thriving global hub for businesses.”
In the wake of the pandemic, this ambitious investment demonstrates confidence in the future of London as a thriving global hub for businesses. John Lucas, Director at Gleeds
