Landsec develops net-zero carbon commercial building

The office development will be known as The Forge, and will be built with the aim of making it the first commercial building in the United Kingdom to be both constructed and operated in compliance with the UK Green Building Council’s net-zero carbon buildings framework.

Landsec’s chief executive, Mark Allan, commented that his company is committed to becoming a sustainable business in the short-term: “Our target is to be a net-zero carbon business by 2030. That means we have to start making changes to the way we do things now.

“We know that property companies have a vital role to play in addressing the climate emergency.

“We’re clear, therefore, that our sustainability strategy must be deeply embedded in our development programme and we will continue to be ambitious in our approach.”

The chief executive of the UK Green Building Council, Julie Hirigoyen, added that The Forge in Southwark had the potential to kickstart this necessary change: “40% of the UK’s carbon emissions are attributable to the built environment and so as a sector, we need to be pursuing aggressive rates of decarbonisation.

“The Forge is a ground-breaking development and testament to Landsec’s desire to tackle the climate crisis head-on.

“Developers, construction firms, architects and occupiers must start working together at scale to deliver buildings like this that minimise whole life carbon and contribute to meaningful progress in the battle against climate change.”