UK REIT British Land has delivered its first ever net zero carbon building, after successfully completing the offset of residual embodied carbon at 100 Liverpool Street in London.
Work to redevelop the office-led scheme, which is situated at Broadgate, began in January 2017. Designed by Arup and built in 1988, the frame of the original 383,000 ft2 building was retained.
The new project also includes 90,000 ft2 of retail and dining with 20,000 ft2 of outdoor terraces over five levels.
British Land said it was able to retain 50% of the existing structure so embodied carbon was low at 390kg CO2e per m2, already below its 2030 target of 500kg CO2e per m2. This approach enabled the firm to complete the building faster and more cost effectively than building from new.
The firm said it had made low carbon choices throughout, adopting smart technologies to enhance operational efficiency as well as the customer experience, for example by optimising light and heat.
Nigel Webb, head of developments at British Land, said: 'We are thrilled with what we’ve achieved at 100 Liverpool Street which serves as a blueprint for future sustainable development at British Land.
'We will never eliminate all carbon in development but with the right schemes, we can balance our emissions by supporting projects which truly absorb carbon from the atmosphere and have a positive local impact.'
British Land decided to offset only once it had done everything it could do to reduce embodied carbon in the building. Its offset strategy is to focus on carbon removals for residual emissions focusing on nature-based solutions that absorb carbon through growth rather than carbon avoidance or renewable energy projects.
At 100 Liverpool Street, the offset was split equally between a project restoring 30,000 hectares of land on the Tibetan plateau and a teak afforestation project in Mexico. This was matched with an additional commitment in the UK, supporting the planting of 150,000 trees in Cumbria and Scotland which is forecast to double the total offset already purchased over the development life cycle of the building.
In line with the firm's 2030 commitments, British Land said that all future developments would be net zero carbon at completion.
Saskia Feast, managing director global client solutions at Natural Capital Partners, said: 'We are delighted to work with British Land as it demonstrates the critical role that business must play in achieving a net zero transformation across the world.
'In this critical decade of climate action, we need to use all the solutions available to deliver the change we need. British Land’s offset strategy is a showcase for going beyond business as usual and committing to making that change.'
