The Carbon Trust

The Carbon Trust relocated from Dorset House to the newly constructed Arbor Building, part of the Bank Side Yard development.

Bankside Yards is a new development set around 14 historical railway arches with 3 acres of public realm providing shops, restaurants, and culture. It will connect London’s South Bank and Bankside for the first time in 150 years. A green building to support green businesses. Arbor has the highest eco credentials, running carbon neutral in operation and reaching BREEAM Excellent. Only 5 minutes’ walk from Dorset House this made it the obvious choice for The Carbon Trust’s new home.

Carbon Trust wanted to minimise the Carbon footprint of the project and achieve SKA gold by utilising their existing CAT A fittings and fixtures wherever possible. Their space is fitted out with a branded and welcoming reception, front-of-house meeting suite, and a large breakout and staff area which is capable of hosting company town halls and events. The staff area desking and collaboration spaces have been placed in the areas of the best natural light and window elevations. The space is a striking blend between the contemporary industrial feel of the Arbor design and The Carbon Trust’s personality. Each meeting room and office has been named after a tree with elegant signage and a vinyl graphic to match the leaf of each particular species.

The fitout and furniture were designed to achieve SKA Gold and minimise the embodied carbon of the project. The majority of the furniture is re-used from Carbon Trust’s previous office and any new pieces were sourced from the ‘pre-loved’ market. All the timbers within the project, such as the reception desk, breakout island, and shelving units are reclaimed. All other materials were carefully checked to ensure their sustainability accreditations and claims stood up.

The CAT A provided by Native Land is a mixture of crisp & modern ceiling rafts set amongst the exposed black iron beams to create the perfect blend of corporate and industrial looks. The layout was designed sympathetically to minimise any alterations to the services with only 6 fan coil units being relocated with one new one being installed. Base build LED lighting was utilised wherever possible and the Audio Visual solution is a mix of re-use, only purchasing new equipment where necessary. The space is largely supported by WIFI, which enables The Carbon Trust staff to seamlessly move around the floor using the many different work settings with their laptops maintaining connectivity.

The Carbon Trust office is top of its class in sustainability, useability, staff & visitor experience.