150 Cheapside case study
A landmark development in the City of London enhancing the public realm
150 Cheapside occupies a pivotal location in the City of London, a landmark site that demands a high-quality building of architectural distinction.
The building has 182,740 square feet of office space on eight floors (typical floor area 23,000 sq ft), plus 22,000 sq ft of retail in five ground-level units. It is located on the corner of Cheapside and St Martin’s le Grand, overlooking St Paul’s Cathedral. The building, which has an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating, has recently been completed.
The 150 Cheapside development has brought an increased retail opportunity to the west end of Cheapside, the City’s ‘High Street’ and an enhanced public realm. It has also resulted in a new office environment that will be a delight to work in.
Website: www.1fiftycheapside.com
Sustainable construction and sourcing
St Martins ensured that, during the demolition of the original site, all waste materials were segregated and recycled as much as possible, not sent to landfill sites. The main contractor, Carillion JM Ltd., had to adhere to a recycling policy during the construction process as part of the Considerate Contractors Scheme – 85% of the waste generated during the construction period. The construction site was managed in an environmentally sound way in terms of resource use, energy usage, storage, waste management, pollution and good neighbourliness.
All timber used during the construction – both for temporary purposes and also the timber incorporated into the permanent works – was sustainably sourced and certified.
During construction 350 job opportunities were created. The contractor played a key role in the local community by engaging with local school groups. Carillion organised events to educate and make children aware of the dangers of construction sites.
Energy consumption, renewable technoligies and heat recovery
During 150’s construction, energy consumption has been monitored with monthly reporting of data displayed on-site to facilitate target setting to reduce consumption.
The glazed façade of 150 Cheapside incorporates brise soleil to provide solar shading. Photovoltaic (PV) cells are mounted on the brise soleil, with additional PV cells on the roof of the lift shafts. The southerly elevation has a passive façade to control solar gain, incorporating solar blinds which are controlled for optimum performance by 150 Cheapside’s Building Management System (BMS).
There is daylight saving control on all lighting for the offices, which is controlled via the BMS to provide optimum lighting levels with the minimum energy usage. The majority of the back of house lighting is controlled via movement sensors.
The above measures contribute to the low running costs of the building.
Water consumption
The water consumption of the building has been monitored with monthly reporting of data displayed on-site to facilitate target setting to reduce consumption.
The building has a pulsed water meter system to enable occupiers to manage usage, leading to reductions in water consumption. Water consumption is predicted to be 4.25m³ per person per year, which is less than the norm of 4.4m³.
The BMS has a flexible and effective leak detection system. An alarm sounds where the flow of water through the meter falls outside the pre-defined points.
Ecology
The development of 150 Cheapside has significantly enhanced the ecological value of the site. The 8th floor terrace contains planters holding native vascular plants. An area of 760m² of the roof is covered by an extensive sedum blanket. This blanket also retains rainwater and reduces the run-off into the drains. Ecologists support the view that this sedum blanket will attract native and non-native species of wildlife, including the endangered Black Redstart (for which the ballast on the roof has been altered to provide a valuable habitat).
Nearby public transport and enhancements
150 Cheapside is very well served by London’s transport infrastructure – benefiting from many public transport routes including adjacent bus stops in St Martin’s Le Grand, and close by in Cheapside. One of the entrances to St Paul’s underground station is just metres away from the building at the junction of Cheapside and St Martin’s Le Grand; Bank underground and City Thameslink main line stations are both a short walk away.
To discourage car use and to encourage car-sharing and public transport use, parking on site is limited to 15 car parking spaces, including 2 disabled parking spaces, and 35 motorcycle spaces. 104 secure and covered cycle rack spaces are available with 104 lockers to be installed. The building itself has 9 water-saving showers and changing facilities for those who choose to cycle to work. This exceeds the minimum BREEAM requirements of 59 secure cycle spaces and 6 showers. The building’s management team will work with its staff, contractors and tenants to develop green travel plans.
Recycling facilities for occupiers
General waste will be separated into different recycling streams through an off-site materials recovery facility. Other waste (including hazardous (fluorescent tubes, toner cartridges, batteries) will be stored in a secure area for specialist recycling. Where waste can be reused, any funds raised will be donated to charity.
Carbon reduction
A reduction of 20% was achieved: this was not a requirement of the 2005 guidelines but St Martins chose to adopt this more stringent guideline.
