- High-level embodied carbon calculation gave City of London’s tallest building total embodied carbon rating of 591 KgCO2e/m²
- Rating is 41% lower than London Energy Transformation Initiative’s current ‘business as usual’ benchmark
- 22 Bishopsgate being delivered by a multi-disciplinary WSP project team
New analysis by WSP, the engineering professional services consultancy, shows that 22 Bishopsgate has already achieved the embodied carbon reduction recommended by the London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) for a net zero building.
WSP undertook a high-level embodied carbon calculation on 22 Bishopsgate in July 2020 which followed the EN—15978 methodology and RICS Carbon Assessment.
It provided London’s second tallest building with a total embodied carbon rating of 591 KgCO2e/m². This is 41% lower than the current ‘business as usual’ LETI benchmark and 2% lower than LETI’s target for net zero buildings.
The scope of the analysis included the substructure, superstructure, façade, MEP (Cat A Fit-out) and internal finishing elements. With MEP excluded, the rating was 489 KgCO2e/m².
22 Bishopsgate is being delivered by a multi-disciplinary WSP project team, including Structures, MEP (mechanical, electrical and public health) and Smart Buildings. WSP is working on behalf of Lipton Rogers and commenced work on the design of the building in 2014.
Kamran Moazami, UK Managing Director of Property & Buildings at WSP, said: “Tackling carbon in the built environment and ensuring that practices and materials are as sustainable as possible is a key priority for WSP. 22 Bishopsgate is already an iconic building and we’re pleased that we have achieved LETI’s target for net zero buildings, as it reiterates that tall buildings can be a sustainable solution for city centres.
“Achieving a net zero economy by 2050 is absolutely crucial for the UK and it will require action from all sectors, including commercial property, be that through efficient retrofit or sustainable engineering of new builds.”
The superstructure comprises a concrete core and steel frame. The design of all structural elements is lean and efficient; avoiding over-designs and minimising waste. All concrete floors were built with lightweight concrete – 30% lighter than normal concrete – which has a positive impact on all aspects of the build, from foundation size to cranage time.
WSP structural engineers were able to re-use 50% of the existing three-storey basement and 100% of the existing foundations from The Pinnacle, the building previously being constructed on the site which stalled in 2012.
Moreover, a ‘top down’ construction approach allowed the team to build 20 storeys of the core before completing the foundations, reducing construction time by three months.
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ABOUT WSP
As one of the world’s leading engineering professional services consultancies, WSP brings clarity and vision to complex challenges. Our team of more than 7,000 technical specialists and strategic advisers across the UK is part of a nearly 50,000-strong global family of expertise. Together, we ensure innovative solutions solve complex problems for our clients and the communities we serve, meeting both the needs of today and addressing the challenges of the future.
As the largest environmental consultancy in the UK, WSP takes pride in leading the way we collectively tackle the climate emergency. Working collaboratively with industry organisations, WSP co-founded ‘Pledge to Net Zero’ which commits environmental services firms to science-based carbon targets and public reporting. In May 2020, we brought together the public and private sector for our Delivering Net Zero report, and WSP is on course to become a net zero business by 2025 – an achievement for which we were named Global Good Company of the Year in 2019.
WSP supports communities across the UK through providing our clients with sustainable and future ready solutions. In West London, we’ve designed HS2’s transformational super-hub at Old Oak Common, engineered 22 Bishopsgate, the tallest building in the City of London, and enabled the Mayor of London to create change by auditing air quality around the capital’s nurseries and schools.
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