Tower Bridge offices reuse Oxford Street department store steel
Fore Partnership is reusing 20 tonnes of salvaged steel from the former House of Fraser department store on Oxford Street, W1, for its office development next to Tower Bridge.
The developer is using 1930s steel beams that it retrieved from the demolished store. It is thought to be the first time pre-WWII steel is being reused in a UK construction project.
Fore said the “urban mining” method will save an estimated 48 tonnes of carbon dioxide when compared with using new steelwork. That is equivalent to driving a car around the earth 50 times, or the annual carbon absorbed by 20 acres of trees.
Fore Partnership is reusing 20 tonnes of salvaged steel from the former House of Fraser department store on Oxford Street, W1, for its office development next to Tower Bridge.
The developer is using 1930s steel beams that it retrieved from the demolished store. It is thought to be the first time pre-WWII steel is being reused in a UK construction project.
Fore said the “urban mining” method will save an estimated 48 tonnes of carbon dioxide when compared with using new steelwork. That is equivalent to driving a car around the earth 50 times, or the annual carbon absorbed by 20 acres of trees.
Following the first 20 tonnes, the developer aims to save at least 100 tonnes of steel from the department store refurbishment. That will make up 20% of the total steel to be used at the development, called TBC London.
It will represent the largest quantity of circular steel ever used, and the largest percentage of a structure ever constructed with reclaimed material. The remaining steel framing at TBC London will contain at least 56% recycled content.
Civic Engineers liaised with McLaren, contractor on the House of Fraser refurbishment, to support the proposal.
As part of the TBC London project, the existing five-storey building will be stripped back and renewed through a deep refurbishment, which will halve the embodied carbon in the construction project compared with rebuilding. The developer is looking to use alternative materials to bring this down further.
TBC London will be 100% electric and net-zero carbon in operation, with no fossil fuels used in running the property. Designed by architect Stiff + Trevillion, the project is targeting EPC A, BREEAM Outstanding and WELL Platinum ratings.
Works on TBC London are expected to complete in 2024. CBRE and RX London are the letting agents.
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Photo from TBC London
