UK: Roots In The Sky, a redevelopment of the former Blackfriars Crown Court, has been given planning consent.
The project will include a 1.1 acre rooftop forest with more than 100 established trees and 10,000 plants.
With just under 385,000 sq ft of contemporary and sustainable office, commercial and community space, Roots in The Sky will be “London’s first office building to deliver an urban forest rooftop with extensive access for the local community and the public – with community gardens and collaborative neighbourhood uses, a rooftop restaurant, bar and swimming pool, and private terraces for the office space below”.
Led by investment manager and developer Fabrix, the building is set to be one of the largest urban roof gardens in Europe.
“Our vision for Roots In The Sky is a modern workplace that actively engages with its local surroundings, and helps shape a neighbourhood that is enjoyable, liveable and economically productive,” said Clive Nichol, CEO of Fabrix. “It’s a commercial building that aims to be a ‘good citizen’, offering a genuine place for community uses, contributing to the ongoing regeneration of Bankside and to London’s wider greening targets.”
Designed by architects Studio RHE, Roots in The Sky “sets out to demonstrate the value of placemaking in a commercial office building, and that bringing inspiring new community spaces alongside commercial development is of benefit to the neighbourhood and tenants alike”.
At street level, amenities include an accessible green atrium, auditorium and community space, a café and retail kiosks. A new thoroughfare between adjoining streets will run through the heart of the building. Placing the services and cooling in the basement frees up the roof-space to re-introduce trees and create space for a new ‘barn’ meeting space, roof gardens, potting shed and seed bank in the wider roofscape, which has been designed by landscape design practice Harris Bugg.
A publicly accessible restaurant and bar sits between the community and private spaces, next to the glass floored infinity edge swimming pool – heated by the building’s waste heat and provides glimpses to the workspaces below.
“This building anticipates the shift in the way people are thinking about their working life post-COVID,” said Nichol. “It’s designed with generous spaces and natural ventilation, access to nature and a mix of uses that reflects new ways of working and living. For us community use goes further than a coffee roastery – it’s about creating daily connections between the neighbourhood and those using the building for work and leisure. We hope that Roots in the Sky serves as a statement on the value of sustainable, community-led development.”
The development is set to begin on site in January 2021, and complete in Q3 2024.
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