We’ve brought our low-carbon Worship Square to practical completion
We’re excited to announce the practical completion of our latest low-carbon and wellbeing-focused workspace. Bringing Worship Square to life during the lockdown years in London was challenging, but the result is truly rewarding. Located between the financial and tech districts of the City and Shoreditch, Worship Square offers a home for companies of all sizes and needs. Amongst them are our first occupiers, Wise, a global technology company and Frontier Economics, an economic consultancy.
A challenging story with an outstanding closure
Turning a vision of creating a workspace that will shape the future of work in the UK’s capital into reality took a lot of work. From the very beginning, the project faced a unique set of challenges as within one month of acquisition in the first quarter of 2020, we were at the start of the coronavirus outbreak and the beginning of multiple lockdowns that sent ripples throughout the market.
Steven Skinner, the CEO of HB Reavis, believes that despite all of the challenges, we’ve added a project to the London skyline that shows what the future of the workplace will look like, with a high level of amenity and service, even though it was both designed and built during the pandemic. And what’s more, the project rose with one primary focus: making the building as green as possible, both in construction and operations.
Setting sustainability standards for the whole market
When considering the future of office spaces, sustainability must be considered. Thanks to the cooperation between our designers, consultants, contractors, and occupiers, we created an environmentally conscious and sustainable space. Innovative, low-energy design and construction techniques implemented when building Worship Square floor-by-floor set a new standard for the office market. By striving for this sustainability excellence, the project has been constructed using less than 450 kg CO2e/m² upfront carbon, which is more than 50% ahead of the LETI (Low Energy Transformation Initiative) baseline. We achieved this through measures including the incorporation of low carbon EAF steel and high GGBS concrete mixes for the structure, reusing parts of the existing building, recycling raised access flooring, 100% green electricity connections for construction activities, and utilising hydrogenated vegetable oil as a fossil fuel replacement.
Business communities thriving in the highest certified spaces
But that’s not where the story ends. Life in Worship Square is just beginning as we move from the building stage to the asset management stage of the building’s life cycle. Our commitment to sustainability also extends to the operational phase of the building, with systems operating seamlessly within a green lease agreement framework. This innovative lease agreement ensures that the relationship between landlord and occupier enables Worship Square to meet our ambitious 5.5* NABERS target—the system that measures the environmental performance of buildings.
Apart from focusing on green solutions and initiatives, we aim to create a positive social impact through considerable community engagement, organising student career days or creating paid work placements for local youth.
To ensure all our efforts are recognised and strategic, we are targeting the pinnacle of certifications: BREEAM Outstanding, WELL Platinum, and designed to achieve NABERS 5.5*. We have already achieved EPC Rating A, WiredScore Platinum, and SmartScore Platinum.
Wellbeing focused, ready to make big brands feel at home
Brands and individuals joining our business community at Worship Square will enjoy all the wellbeing amenities the project has, such as an in-house fitness studio, regular events to unwind after work, or green outdoor spaces to chat about a project over coffee with teammates.
The focus on supporting physical and mental health is not the only thing that makes Worship Square an exceptional working destination. Worship Square is a hub in a pulsating city where businesses thrive. To do so, they can choose from various working setups: flexible Ready to Work office and HubHub co-working, which marks its second location in the city.
Creating spaces ambitious brands desire
Achieving these prestigious ratings will place Worship Square at the forefront of the office market, ensure our developments contribute positively to the environment and society at large, and support brands that call Worship Square their home to meet their own ESG goals.
Our expertise in creating spaces that support employee wellbeing and collaboration is evident. Worship Square demonstrates our success pre-leasing buildings– with 98% of the available office space leased before practical completion.
Watch this space!
Photo credit: Ed Reeve
