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
| Jun 16, 2014
6 U.S. cities at the forefront of innovation districts
A new Brookings Institution study records the emergence of “competitive places that are also cool spaces.”
| Jun 12, 2014
SmithGroup finishes 100th LEED-certified project
With the construction of the LEED-NC Platinum Oakland University Human Health Building, constructed in Rochester, Michigan, SmithGroupJJR recently achieved its 100th LEED certified project.
| Jun 6, 2014
Shipping container ship terminal completed in Spain
In Seville, Spain, architectural firms Hombre de Piedra and Buró4 have designed and completed a cruise ship terminal out of used shipping containers.
| Jun 2, 2014
Parking structures group launches LEED-type program for parking garages
The Green Parking Council, an affiliate of the International Parking Institute, has launched the Green Garage Certification program, the parking industry equivalent of LEED certification.
| May 27, 2014
America's oldest federal public housing development gets a facelift
First opened in 1940, South Boston's Old Colony housing project had become a symbol of poor housing conditions. Now the revamped neighborhood serves as a national model for sustainable, affordable multifamily design.
| May 22, 2014
Facebook, Telus push the limits of energy efficiency with new data centers
Building Teams are employing a range of creative solutions—from evaporative cooling to novel hot/cold-aisle configurations to heat recovery schemes—in an effort to slash energy and water demand.
| May 22, 2014
Big Data meets data centers – What the coming DCIM boom means to owners and Building Teams
The demand for sophisticated facility monitoring solutions has spurred a new market segment—data center infrastructure management (DCIM)—that is likely to impact the way data center projects are planned, designed, built, and operated.
| May 16, 2014
BoA, USGBC to offer $25,000 grants for green affordable housing projects
The Affordable Green Neighborhoods Grant Program will offer 14 grants to developers of affordable housing in North America who are committed to building sustainable communities through the LEED for Neighborhood Development program.
| May 15, 2014
Paints, coatings, and sealants: 10 new ways to seal the deal
Color-shifting finishes, dry-erase surfaces, and stain-blocking paints are highlighted in this round up of new offerings in paints, coatings, sealants, and finishes.
| May 14, 2014
Must see: Vertical forest goes up in the heart of Milan
Some 900 trees, 5,000 shrubs, and 11,000 floral plants have been planted on the terraces of Bosco Verticale, a new high-rise residential development in Milan.
