Citicape House
Location: London
Status: completed

Citicape House creates a distinctive architectural statement, while absorbing eight tonnes of pollution annually and setting the standard for urban greening in London. The hospitality-led, mixed-use proposal is characterised by the largest green wall in Europe (40,000 sq ft). The 382-key, five-star hotel proposes 40,000 sq ft of workspace, a sky-bar on the tenth floor, meeting and events space, spa and ground level restaurant and co-working space.

Situated on a prominent site on Holborn Viaduct at the gateway of the City’s “Culture Mile,” the building would create an opportunity to broadcast fresh ideas about how the built environment can address pertinent issues such as air quality, climate change and air pollution. New public green space and a roof-top viewing gallery on the eleventh floor are open to the public and feature incredible views overlooking St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Grade I listed Holy Sepulchre. At roof level, greenery wraps around the building, with spaces designed for threatened native wildflower species to flourish.

The dramatic green wall and ‘pocket plaza‘ at the prow of the building create important breathing space at street level, signalling the presence of the rooftop restaurant and garden, offering a much-needed public amenity with panoramic views of the city skyline. The building would annually capture over eight tonnes of carbon, produce six tonnes of oxygen, and lower the local temperature by three to five degrees Celsius.

The wall would also significantly contribute towards improving local air quality, by trapping approximately 500kg of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) per year. The project engages with the Urban Greening Policy set out in the GLA’s draft New London Plan, incorporating strategies to encourage better urban greening, while adopting measures for an ‘Urban Greening Factor’ (UGF). With an UGF of 1.37, Citicape House exceeds the mandated 0.3 by over 45 times, setting the new standard for future developments in Greater London.

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