The £100m contract, awarded to McLaren Construction, includes the retrofit and extension of an existing 1950s building for the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Scheduled for completion in 2027, the project is expected to be the largest Passivhaus retrofit building in the UK. Works will include an extension, designed by David Chipperfield Architects.
The building, located at 35 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, will become home to the Firoz Lalji Global Hub, housing the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa and additional space for other LSE departments.
The building’s original materials will be salvaged
The plans involve the top three floors and roof-plant enclosure being demolished and replaced by a cross-laminated timber extension, increasing the size of the building from 9,856 sq m to 11,848 sq m.
McLaren has consulted with Buro Happold to create the best practical strategies for reducing embodied carbon within the project, such as consideration of material choices, reducing or removing unnecessary components, and utilising low-carbon technologies or alternatives where possible.
Several of the building’s original materials are being salvaged, including parquet, timber flooring, brass inlays, lighting fixtures, ceramic tiles, and rainwater hoppers, and the retrofit process will use materials from other nearby sites to recycle and reduce waste.
McLaren Construction’s managing director for London & South, Darren Gill, added: “Retrofit techniques have advanced to the point where we can remodel 70-year-old buildings to create world-class spaces at the same time as minimising both the embodied carbon in a construction project and the future operational carbon emissions.
“With the new LSE Agora, McLaren will be responsible for creating a space that will become an iconic symbol of London’s open academic life around the world.”
A sign of rising popularity for Passivhaus projects
In February, the Passivhaus Trust released data showing that 1% of all UK housing developments are now Passivhaus projects, thanks to changes in policy and funding.
With this increase in popularity, the Trust has now set a new target for 10% of all UK housing projects to be Passivhaus. The rise in Passivhaus popularity can be seen in:
- The Scottish Government is developing a policy for a Passivhaus ‘equivalent standard’ in newbuild houses, which could mean that new homes built to Passivhaus standards will automatically satisfy other current building standards
- Many councils have been working on local plans to help developers meet and exceed building regulations, which often draw on the Passivhaus standards
- 60% of Scottish schools are now aiming to meet Passivhaus standards due to the Scottish Futures Trust encouraging local authorities to adopt better building performance standards
- Welsh social housing schemes are utilising a ‘fabric first’ alternative to EPC A which uses aspects of Passivhaus methodology
Jon Bootland, chief executive of the Passivhaus Trust, said: “This new data shows that the Passivhaus standard is now a mainstream option in the UK. 1% is the figure that has been achieved by Passivhaus in the UK, but we now expect exponential growth.
“We’re aiming to move up from 1% to 10% of all new housing by 2035. We also want at least 50% of the industry to understand the principles behind Passivhaus. It’s a massive challenge. We need to really accelerate delivery. The Passivhaus Trust, as an independent, non-profit organisation, aims to provide the leadership the industry needs to do just that.”
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