CASE STUDY: London's Most Sustainable Building

Image via WikipediaBy Alex A Richards

In recent times, the state, climate and ultimately the CO2 emissions produced in the city of London is always a topic on the governmental agenda, with MPs and environmentalists looking for ways to cut the amount of pollution produced by the iconic UK capital.

While it appears to be an uphill battle, we are making some head way with a range of environmentally friendly measures coming in to place to help reduce our impact on the planet. But what is London's most sustainable building, what makes it so eco-friendly and how can we learn from it?

Well, without further ado, we can reveal the most sustainable building throughout the city of London is 7 More London, which is the last piece of the More London office development programme on the south bank of the River Thames, immediately next to London's Tower Bridge. The area is also host to buildings which include 'The Scoop' and City Hall, which are all easily recognisable for their bespoke designs and architectural glazing.

The building is the first throughout the capital to achieve an 'Outstanding' rating for its energy efficiency and became only the third building in the country to do so.

So, what makes it so environmentally friendly? Well, as we have already mentioned, the building is constructed using architectural glazing which holds a whole host of environmental benefits. Firstly, architectural glazing allows natural light to be emitted into the building, which decreases its dependence on electrical lighting. The 7 More London building has also relinquished its dependence on heavy and expensive air conditioning units in the entrance (or atrium) of the building. To combat the heat, the building has instead covered its river facing entrance with two dark glass wings.

Then as you go through the entrance and enter the heart of the building, you come across a private garden and interior courtyard which emits light in to the centre of the office floors.

The building also has a bio-diesel fuelled heating and power plant in its basement, which is an extremely eco-friendly heating alternative as it burns sustainable alternatives, rather than fossil fuels which emit a great amount of CO2.

One of the most impressive (and technologically advanced features) is an integrated IT system, which enables all workers from within the building to manually manage and monitor the lighting and temperature of their office area, from the comfort of their desktop computer. This also enables each company to measure the amount of energy the use (and waste).

This building is truly an innovator and can lead by example for future sustainable architectural designs. The 7 More London building emits 55% less CO2 than any new build design which has been constructed under today's standard building regulations, and can really help in the push towards low or zero carbon buildings.

There is always more room for improvement and innovation in the push for zero carbon buildings, and the 7 More London Building can lead by example and hopefully inspire and innovate fellow architects to design and create eco-friendly office buildings.

OAG are specialists in architectural glazing, with a variety of solutions that include glass floors, glass roofs and glass barriers.

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