Urban forest office block to use reclaimed steel

Investor Fabrix has appointed Mace as main contractor to deliver the Roots in the Sky office development in Southwark, south London.

The innovative scheme will provide over 26,000m² of net lettable area alongside 4,200m² of external terraces, including a fully publicly accessible garden and the UK’s first rooftop urban forest. The roof will have 125 mature trees and 10,000 plants, requiring 1,000 tonnes of soil.

The all-electric building will be net zero carbon in both construction and operation and is targeting a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating. Setting a new benchmark for the circular economy and saving more carbon, the project will use reclaimed steel, obtained from the demolition of another building.

Fabrix CEO Clive Nichol, said: “Roots in the Sky represents a step-change for the future of the office market. It will be an office building that works not just for a progressive occupier but also for the local community and wider London. There is set to be a supply/demand imbalance for organisations looking for sustainable and impactful HQ buildings and we expect Roots in the Sky to be a major beneficiary of this.”

Designed by Sheppard Robson, the building delivers much-needed highly sustainable, quality office space, with unprecedented access to nature and community, at a time when occupiers are asking for more from their buildings.

The design reintroduces original features of the 1950s former Blackfriars Crown Court building through its façade retention, such as opening sash windows, which will flood the new spacious workspaces and six-storey atrium with light.

Work is expected to start on site in January 2023.