‘Ultra-sustainable’ tower on the cards for London

The planning application for 105 Victoria Street is currently being considered by Westminster City Council.

The UK capital may soon get a new 14 storey high, “ultra-sustainable” commercial building, after developer Welput - a specialist London office fund managed by BentallGreenOak (BGO) - confirmed its commitment to the project.

According to Welput, its 470,000sq ft (44,000m²) office development at 105 Victoria Street will be all-electric - with its energy requirements entirely met by renewable sources - and will “create a new kind of community-focused” building.

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Welput said, “The decision to move forward with 105 Victoria Street not only demonstrates Welput’s confidence in the London office market post-Covid, but underlines the critical importance of developing assets with ground-breaking ESG credentials in order to attract the next generation of occupiers.”

While planning permission for 105 Victoria Street has not yet been officially approved by Westminster City Council, according to Welput, the local authority has “resolved to grant planning permission for a new 470,000 sq ft destination building”.

If approved for development, the construction of 105 Victoria Street will see the demolition of an existing building and the erection of a new structure with a ground, mezzanine and up to 14 storeys with terraces from the tenth floor to the fourteenth.

Plans for 105 Victoria Street include the creation of an urban farm with rooftop allotments

Designed to “foster the health and welbeing of its end users” by architects KPF and Henning Larseninternal, the community-focused structure will feature a central ‘Village Square’ at street level and provide 30,000 sq ft of greenspace and terracing - including a 200-metre ‘walk and talk’ track and an Urban Farm with community allotments.

Other key features of 105 Victoria Street include a cycle ramp that allows office workers and members of the public to cycle straight into the building, a cycling shop and bicycle stoage facilities.

An activity zone with a gym, a multi-purpose arena and an auditorium for indoor sports games and large business events are also in the design plans.

Aiming to achieve a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ certification and to exceed the RIBA 2030 sustainability targets, upon completion the structure will be “the largest all-electric office in the UK”. 

The community-focused structure will feature a central ‘Village Square’ at street level.

Ker Gilchrist, who has responsibility for Welput at BGO, said, “Rather than just reducing our carbon emissions, we want to be net beneficial to the environment. That means approaching today’s highest sustainability credentials not as a target to aspire to but a baseline to build from.

“With a comprehensive whole life carbon approach, 105 Victoria Street will surpass both existing and emerging sustainability standards, achieving net zero not only in operation but in the construction, with the building becoming net beneficial to the environment after just six years of its lifespan.”