Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios has opened Paradise SE11 in Lambeth, a six‑storey mass‑timber office that the practice and its backers present as the UK’s lowest embodied‑carbon building of its type. Commissioned by Bywater Properties and led on design by Alex Whitbread and Simon Richardson, the development sits adjacent to Old Paradise Gardens and is being pitched as a prototype for low‑carbon, human‑centred urban workplaces. According to industry listings and the project team, the scheme was conceived to demonstrate how commercial offices can meet stringent embodied‑carbon targets while responding to local context.

Structurally the building adopts a timber‑first approach: cross‑laminated timber (CLT) and glued‑laminated (glulam) elements form the primary frame, left exposed internally to make the structure legible within office floorplates. The project website and supplier material outline an offsite prefabrication strategy for CLT panels and engineered timber components, a method credited by the supply chain with shortening programme time, improving quality and reducing embodied carbon compared with conventional construction. The architects have also kept services and finishes deliberately visible in places to support future disassembly and reuse.

The team and media reports quantify the carbon case for Paradise SE11. ArchDaily and the project’s marketing state embodied‑carbon savings of roughly 35 per cent against typical new offices, and claim the timber structure sequesters over 1,800 tonnes of CO₂. Engineering advisors report a life‑cycle carbon figure materially below common benchmarks: one consultant records a life‑cycle figure of 491 kg CO₂e per square metre and the project website claims the carbon held within the timber equates to roughly sixty years’ worth of operational emissions from a typical tenant. Independent industry commentary at the opening confirmed the large volumes of timber used and cited third‑party verification of the headline savings.

Achieving regulatory approval for a higher‑risk mass‑timber office required detailed cross‑disciplinary work. The project team — including structural and M&E engineers and building‑control specialists — pursued a performance‑based fire strategy backed by large‑scale testing and external review. Those involved describe extensive collaboration with third‑party reviewers and building‑control authorities to secure an approved approach, underlining that the timber strategy was tested and documented rather than relied upon as a novelty.

Beyond structure and carbon accounting, the design embeds human‑centred, low‑energy measures. The façades combine glazed terracotta with openable elements to enable natural ventilation; interiors feature open floorplates and exposed timber finishes intended to promote occupant wellbeing. Photovoltaics, plentiful cycle parking and an allocation of affordable workspace form part of the tenant offer laid out on the project’s information materials, which emphasise operational as well as upfront carbon performance.

Circularity and adaptability are presented as central ambitions. The architects and client describe the frame as engineered for disassembly: connections, services routes and finishes have been coordinated to enable future demounting and reuse. Supplier and contractor pages stress the practicalities of delivering a timber‑first office in a London context, positioning the building as an example of how demountable components and offsite manufacture can be combined with conventional urban logistics.

Delivery relied on a mix of international timber suppliers and local contractors. The CLT was supplied through a major engineered‑timber manufacturer and installed by UK partners working with the main contractor, with offsite prefabrication credited for accelerating onsite assembly and improving quality control. Project records and industry reporting note the significant volumes of CLT incorporated and cite the collaborative model between designers, suppliers and builders as key to meeting both programme and environmental targets.

Taken together, industry bodies and project listings frame Paradise SE11 as an exemplar for low‑carbon commercial buildings in London, aligning with wider national initiatives to increase timber use in construction. At its opening, stakeholders highlighted the scheme’s contribution to demonstrating timber’s role in net‑zero pathways while acknowledging the wider policy and technical work that underpins higher‑risk timber projects. The building is now being watched as a practical test of whether ambitious embodied‑carbon claims translate into long‑term operational and circular performance.

The claims for Paradise SE11 are supported by documented engineering inputs, supplier statements and third‑party verification cited by the project team, but long‑term validation will depend on post‑occupancy performance and how easily the building can be adapted or deconstructed in future. The project surpasses stated RIBA 2030 embodied‑carbon targets ahead of schedule according to team figures, and engineers involved point to rigorous testing and building‑control engagement as evidence that the approach has been robustly scrutinised — while reminding readers that operational energy use, maintenance and eventual reuse will determine the ultimate sustainability dividend.

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Source: Noah Wire Services