The vision for Peninsula Central, the 3.5m sq ft business hub taking shape at the heart of Greenwich Peninsula, includes the creation of London’s greenest commercial district.

The first two office and retail buildings A and B are under construction next to The O2 and will set a new benchmark for future offices created at Peninsula Central, and across London as a whole.

Buildings A and B comprise 310,000 sq ft of net office space plus supporting retail amenity space. They are located adjacent to Peninsula Square and only 2 minute’s walk from North Greenwich tube and bus station. Transport for London, who has committed to 135,000 sq ft of space in Building A and maintain an option on the remaining 60,000 sq ft of office space in Building A, shares our commitment to sustainability and have partnered with us in our sustainability achievements.

The energy strategy developed by Hilson Moran confirmed that the buildings will emit 41% less carbon than the target emission rate set within 2006 Building Regulations through a combination of passive, efficient, and low carbon (renewable) energy systems. This is believed to be a leading carbon footprint reduction achievement in the London office market.

To complement the excellent public transport links within Peninsula Central and help employees achieve healthier lifestyles, the two buildings will provide secure storage for 216 bicycles and walking routes through 48 acres of green space and along the riverbank in both directions link the commercial district to adjacent residential and retail centres. Employees will be within five minutes’ walk of Central Park, the river and the Thames Clipper river bus service.

The performance of the buildings will soon be submitted to BRE and it’s predicted that a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’ (74%) will be awarded this year. This has been achieved through a focused sustainability strategy.

The key features contributing to the performance of the building are:

- Controls: Intelligent controls will ensure that only the energy actually required by employees is drawn. These include presence detection, and sensors to exploit seasonal daylight. - Renewable Energy: Cooling and heating is provided through 110m-deep ground-source, open-loop bore holes, which interfaces with the chilled water system serving chilled beams. - Façade: Dynamic thermal modelling using real weather data was undertaken at an early stage to ensure the façade design and glazing would enhance energy efficiency. Neutral solar control double-glazed facades were specified incorporating elements of opaque panels to control energy transfer to and from the building. - Water: A rainwater harvesting system is being installed, with sufficient storage capacity for a day’s volume of non-potable water. - Green roofs: Green roofs will steady the flow of rainwater into the harvesting system and encourage bio-diversity.

Care has been taken to ensure the construction of these buildings is environmentally sound including working with contractor Bovis Lend Lease in:

- giving preference to timber and timber products, which carry the Forest Stewardship Council's (FSC) Trademark, - implementing waste management strategies that reduce waste at source and report waste that is being segregated and recycled. Over 80% of construction waste in June 2008 was processed for recycling.

New communities can only succeed when the local community is fully engaged and experiences direct benefit from the regeneration work taking place. Two years ago Greenwich Peninsula Regeneration Limited (GPRL) in partnership with local stakeholders set up the Work & Learn centre at Peninsula Central to train local people with the skills that would be needed in the construction of Greenwich Peninsula. To date over 1,200 people have received their CSCS card, training them in safety to work on a construction site, some of them being recruited in the construction of Buildings A and B.

By April 2009 approximately 1,500 people will be working within Building A, enjoying the entertainment and restaurants within The O2 and relaxing on the riverside and in Central Park. These new buildings mark the start of a new chapter for Greenwich Peninsula, adding another dimension to the increasingly vibrant and diverse community that is growing here.