Investor Fabrix has selected Mace as the main contractor and Erith as enabling works contractor to deliver the 430,000ft2 next-gen HQ office building, Roots in the Sky, in Southwark, UK.
This is expected to be a net-zero project that will reimagine the previous Blackfriars Crown Court.
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Erith will provide basement box and destruction works under the two-stage building process.
The start of work on the site is scheduled for January 2023.
Roots in the Sky will offer over 280,000ft2 of net lettable area along with 46,000ft2 of exterior terraces.
Besides including a public garden, the project is claimed to feature the country’s first rooftop urban forest with 125 trees and 10,000 plants.
This all-electric building is expected to be net zero carbon during construction and operational phases. It is aiming for BREEAM Outstanding, WELL Platinum and NABERS 5.
The 1,000-tonne of soil on the rooftop forest is anticipated to safeguard against flash flooding and cut down storm runoff by more than 30%.
It’s around 45,000ft2 floorplates will be able to house up to 700 people on a single floor.
It will feature an integrated waste energy capture mechanism that will see energy being captured from areas such as tenant server rooms, and incorporated back into the building heat network.
The project will see steel being reclaimed from the demolition of another building, thereby creating a ‘new benchmark’ for circular economy, claimed the company.
Fabrix CEO Clive Nichol said: “Roots in the Sky represents a step-change for the future of the office market. The commitment to quality shown by Mace and Erith, as well as to the building’s purpose and its very unique ESG proposition, demonstrated to us that they are the right team as we start on site on this transformational project.
“An office building that works not just for a progressive occupier but also for the local community and wider London. There is set to be a supply/demand imbalance for organisations looking for sustainable and impactful HQ buildings and we expect Roots in the Sky to be a major beneficiary of this.”
This building is being redesigned by Sheppard Robson. Harris Bugg Studio will serve as the landscape architect.
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Image: The office complex will feature the UK’s first rooftop urban forest. Credit: Mace Group/Fabrix.
