We are committed to embedding innovative ways of working throughout our development process to help benefit the local environment, reduce our carbon footprint and have a positive impact on the communities in which we work.
At Minerva House, SE1, we are working with our partners Morrisroe and Multiplex to create a best-in-class riverside workspace, located on the Southbank, right in front of the River Thames. Originally constructed in the 1980s, the six-storey building sits opposite Southwark Cathedral and Borough Market, an iconic location, that is surrounded by public realm.
We aim to retrofit and refurbish the existing building, maintaining over 70% of the existing fabric, together with introducing innovative ways of working that will further reduce the overall embodied carbon impact of the development. As part of our activities, 20 tonnes of glass will be salvaged from site and used in the production of new glass; this is one of the first schemes in the country to participate in this truly circular and innovative process.
Minerva House is also the first private development on the Thames to utilise a barge to remove materials from site during the first phase of the development. This pioneering approach will reduce the total number of heavy goods vehicles coming to site by 65% during the deconstruction phase, removing waste from an area with very high footfall, as well as reducing noise and air pollution in a congested, pedestrian heavy environment.