Real estate investment firm FORE Partnership has awarded Willmott Dixon the £50m construction contract to transform an out-of-date 1990s office building next to Tower Bridge into one of the UK’s most sustainable and healthy offices.
FORE announced earlier this year that funds managed by KKR, a leading global investment firm, had invested in TBC.London and that it was committed to move forward with speculative development.
FORE selected Willmott Dixon based on a shared commitment to sustainability that will see TBC.London deliver tangible, enduring benefits for the local community. FORE is a certified B Corporation and has made an industry leading commitment to ensure its business and buildings are net zero carbon by 2025. Willmott Dixon has made its own net zero commitment under its 2030 sustainable development strategy, ‘Now or never: our decisive decade’.
Willmott Dixon will work with FORE to run a ‘Building Lives’ skills academy at TBC.London during the construction programme, providing those in need with training that will lead to qualifications and jobs within the construction industry. FORE is targeting creating up to £9m in social and local economic value during the two-year construction period through local employment and procurement strategies.
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 and BREEAM Outstanding, the highest possible environmental assessments.
The building is also targeting WELL Platinum, the highest rating under the WELL Building Institute’s certification programme, a global rating system which serves as a marker of healthy building design. Only around 30 offices across the globe have attained a Platinum rating, and combined with the target BREEAM score, TBC.London is aiming to be one of Europe’s greenest, healthiest buildings.
Reflecting FORE’s commitment to retrofit first rather than rebuild, the existing five-storey building will be stripped back and renewed through a deep refurbishment, preserving the embodied carbon in the frame. Two floors will be added, with a third additional floor set back from Tower Bridge to create a terrace and club room. All tenants of the building will have direct access to outdoor space through terraces, balconies, and gardens.
A key part of the strategy for TBC.London is to create space where social enterprises and community groups can come together with tenants to build stronger relationships within the local area and tackle systemic change to deep-seated social issues. The ground floor will incorporate a flexible, 3,000 square feet multi-use space that will be available for community uses.
Basil Demeroutis, Managing Partner, FORE Partnership, said: “We selected Willmott Dixon because they share our deep commitment to sustainability. In particular, Willmott Dixon’s efforts to be carbon neutral and their positive work in engaging with the communities in which they work set them apart and is wholly aligned with our own values and approach. We now look forward to starting on site and taking this exemplar project forward.”
Chris Tredget, Managing Director, Willmott Dixon said: “We are delighted to be working with FORE Partnership to deliver TBC.London, which will pave the way for a new generation of sustainable and innovative working environments. We both have shared values and commitment to create a more sustainable built environment and leave a positive impact in the communities in which we work.”
The building lies in an attractive position on the south bank of the River Thames. Close to London Bridge, Tower Hill tube, Fenchurch Street and Bermondsey stations as well as St Katharine's Pier, it has great connectivity within and beyond London.
Willmott Dixon is expected to start on site in September 2022, with the project scheduled for completion in mid-2024.
