Plans have been submitted to the City of London for Citicape House, a 382-key five-star hotel.
Located on Holborn Viaduct at what will become the City’s “Cultural Mile,” the Sheppard Robson-designed project will feature 40,000 sf of workspace, a sky bar on the tenth floor, meeting and events space, a spa, a restaurant on the ground level, and co-working space.
The most striking element of the project, however, is the 40,000 sf of living wall that will be integrated into the facade, which, upon completion, will become Europe’s largest living wall. The living wall is projected to annually capture over eight tons of carbon, produce six tons of oxygen, trap 500kg of particulate matter, and lower the local temperature by three to five degrees celsius.
In addition to the living wall, a new public green space on the roof features views of St. Paul’s Cathedral and the surrounding city. The greenery continues to wrap the building at the roof level with spaces designed for threatened native wildflower species. The building has an Urban Greening Factor (introduced as part of The London Plan) of 1.37, exceeding the mandated 0.3 by over 45 times.
See Also: A guitar-shaped hotel is South Florida’s latest beacon
“Rather than having an isolated patch of greenery, we felt that an immersive and integrated approach would have the biggest impact on the local environmental conditions and making a better and more liveable city, as well as articulating a clear architectural statement,” said Dan Burr, Partner, Sheppard Robson, in a release.
The proposed building showcases new ideas about how the built environment can address pertinent issues in cities such as air quality, climate change, and air pollution.
Related Stories
Sustainability | Apr 5, 2019
BIG unveils vision for a sustainable, floating city
The project is dubbed Oceanix City.
Sustainability | Mar 25, 2019
This is the world’s first Sustainable SITES Initiative v2 Platinum project
The building is part of the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh.
Sustainability | Feb 20, 2019
Studio NAB’s Superfarm project creates an entire ecosystem in an urban environment
The Superfarm will go beyond what vertical farms typically produce.
Sustainability | Feb 11, 2019
AEC firms practice what they preach
The advice about wellness firms dispense to clients in many cases has already been road tested to make their own workplaces healthier.
Market Data | Feb 4, 2019
U.S. Green Building Council announces annual Top 10 States for LEED Green Building in 2018
Illinois takes the top spot as USGBC defines the next generation of green building with LEED v4.1.
Sustainability | Feb 1, 2019
Designing a net zero aquatic center
Buildings can be designed to cut consumption and operate more efficiently, but the pools always make it difficult to achieve substantial savings.
Sustainability | Jan 30, 2019
Denmark to build nine industrial, energy-producing islands surrounded by a ‘nature belt’
The project will be located 10 km (6.2 miles) south of Copenhagen.
Green | Jan 28, 2019
This is the country’s greenest academic building
Perkins+Will designed the building.
Sustainability | Nov 5, 2018
How the built environment can help the climate crisis
Our buildings and cities will have to experiment with new climate responsive forms, and in many cases, the built environment will require dramatic shifts to achieve true resilience and continue working towards a carbon-neutral society.
Sustainability | Oct 25, 2018
As project delivery models evolve, designers rethink their role
New York City’s newest university campus, Cornell Tech, pushes the limits of sustainable and resilient design.