SNEAK PEEK | Sustainable Workspaces at County Hall

Join Dickon Hayward, Director at Material Works Architecture for a tour of Sustainable Workspaces - a new home for a community of climate technology start-ups set on the fifth floor of County Hall - the Grade II* listed former GLC building.

Adopting a low impact design philosophy focused on minimising embodied energy, the design is a test ground for innovative materials and techniques that show an alternative path to workspace retrofit. The design focuses on celebrating the existing architecture while minimising embodied energy, pioneering innovative materials and encouraging cradle to cradle life cycles.

Starting with an abandoned space derelict since the GLC’s exit in the 1980s, the project retains and reuses as much of the existing finishes and fittings as possible.  Repairs were limited to defective areas only, with the final finish a celebration of the  ‘as found ’ character of the existing space.

Where new materials were required, they were chosen to avoid the high carbon yields associated with traditional building products. Focus is given to materials that utilise agricultural or industrial by-products, exploit existing waste streams or are derived from carbon sequestering forestry. Examples include joinery finishes created from waste coffee and vegetables, carpentry using composite boards formed from agricultural waste, cork flooring, mycelium acoustic baffles, and a countertop formed from reclaimed building rubble.

Interventions that provide private offices and shared amenities were then added with life-cycle considerations - using de-mountable systems or formed from fully recyclable materials. The scheme not only dramatically reduces the amount of embodied carbon, by 80% in comparison to a typical benchmark scheme*, but also points towards a new aesthetic and material language reflecting the demands of the climate emergency.

Photo © Fred Howarth 

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You'll get priority booking for events, discounted tickets, and free tickets for the annual Banister Fletcher Lecture. 

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