Sustainability meets community at Bloomberg’s new London headquarters. [Photo: Nigel Young]
The city of London has its eye on the future.
Ranked the fifth most sustainable city in the world on the Sustainable Cities Index from Arcadis, it continues to raise standards for green building and living practices.
Mayor Sadiq Khan has a vision to turn London into the world’s first National Park City, with a goal of being zero-carbon by 2050. The city strives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 60% by 2025—encouraging architects and builders to think along the same lines.
The city maintains more than 35,000 acres of public green spaces—40% of its entire area. There are more than 700 green roofs in central London alone. “I’ve set out my plans to improve London’s environment by fighting pollution, tackling waste, and promoting cleaner energy so we can make London a healthier city that adapts to the impacts of climate change,” Khan says.
The city has one of the most sustainable mass transport systems in the world. In 2003, city officials introduced the transit tax to encourage use of public transport and reduce car emissions. Likewise, the city is encouraging architects and builders to look at the effect they are having on the environment during the design and construction process, as well as the life and daily functions of those spaces.
Many of the buildings recently completed by area architects and visionaries are testaments to the city’s commitment to do better—to not only employ sustainable construction practices, but to also design buildings that have a positive impact on their surroundings. We recently had the pleasure of speaking with the architects behind some of the city’s most exciting projects. Read about the teams who designed a center for cancer patients and their families to receive support, Maggie’s Centre Barts; a residential building called Dalston Works; and the office of Bloomberg’s European headquarters—the most sustainable office building in the world.
