Fossil Fuel Free Salford Office with Living Facade, MAKE Architects

MAKE Architects have won the approval for an 11 storey office block with living facade in New Bailey, Salford. Developed by the English Cities Fund the £1billion, 10,600m2 office space will have a net zero operational carbon; which is a highly energy efficient building that is fully powered from on and or off site, renewable energy sources. The building will rely solely on renewable electricity and is expected to achieve a BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) outstanding rating. It will feature a living wall which will reduce the pollution in the area and naturally reduce the city temperatures, as well as act as a natural insulator. 

The structure will use recycled steel for its reinforcement, 50% replacement concrete in the substructure and 30% in the superstructure, making it 80% cement replacement. 

Cement replacement can be PFA (Pulverised Fuel Ash) or GGBS (Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag) which can save 850kg of CO2 per tonne of Portland cement used, which is the most common form of cement used around the world. Magneisa based cement instead of calcium silica based cement and recycled aggregate from demolished concrete saves CO2. GGBS is also known to reduce the heat island effect in cities with hot climates. 

The green wall will be made up of a mixture of horizontal and vertical bands that wrap around the building which will be 60% solid and 40% glazing, with an ivy veil made up of trailing and climbing plants. The choice of plants is important to withstand the seasonal changes. The architect, Stuart Fraser said the living wall will 'absorb and filter the pollution and carbon in the atmosphere, enhance biodiversity, attenuate rainwater, reduce noise and provide biophilic benefits for the health and wellbeing of the users'.

The English Cities Fund director Phil Marsden spoke of how 'high quality' office spaces are still in demand with an 'agile' environments to work from and 'promote colleague wellbeing, climate resilient and adaptable to our changing world'. 

https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/make-wins-goahead-for-salford-office-with-living-facade?tkn=1

https://www.worldgbc.org/advancing-net-zero/what-net-zero

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/cement-replacement