EDGE London Bridge.

EDGE London Bridge will be the UK’s first multi-tenant office development to achieve both BREEAM Outstanding and WELL Platinum. And it’s similarly structurally ambitious: the scheme integrates a demountable, engineered-timber ‘village’ directly beneath a structurally independent office tower that’s elevated on columns above the ground.

Location

London, UK

Client

EDGE

Architect

Pilbrow & Partners

Project Value

confidential

Floor Area

45,500 m²

Status

on site

Expertise

Structures

AKT II has developed this pioneering structural solution for the project’s international developer – EDGE – together with the architect Pilbrow & Partners. And the novel base configuration marks a radical departure in character from London’s traditional office developments. The modularised, adaptable construction introduces an inclusive and multi-levelled public programme, complete with start-up business spaces and community facilities, that altogether activates the pedestrian realm and engages with the bustling local London Bridge neighbourhood.

The upper, taller volume concurrently capitalises on the available vertical space to deliver 26 leasable working floors. All storeys are flexible to serve a range of enterprises, from small start-ups to larger established organisations, while the northern elevation’s terraces add greened outward views and provide further, informal areas for collaboration. All of the upper volume’s floors additionally feature demountable timber sections, which can be adapted over time to create multi-height spaces or circulatory connections.

Numerous smart technologies are also integrated throughout, to support the occupants’ productivity and comfort, while also helping to optimise the tenants’ energy requirements. These measures include chilled ceiling panels, with integrated lighting, services and sensors, which are coordinated with the openable façade elements for natural ventilation and passive temperature control.

A full-lifecycle carbon analysis has also been undertaken to inform all aspects of the building’s construction and operation. The unitised envelope system noteably allows a straightforward façade upgrade, when needed, to extend the building’s lifespan in the future.

The vibrant, publicly accessible ground-level programme, with its lush landscaped garden, meanwhile adds to the ongoing transformation of London’s South Bank zone.