Southworks

A landmark, future-proofed office, Southworks is a pioneering blend of technological and sustainable features and high-quality design. The result is a truly innovative commercial scheme that caters to the needs of the post-pandemic workforce and has been celebrated as one of the world’s smartest buildings.

The seven-storey, 70,000 sq ft project from Middlecap replaced several dilapidated buildings and has reinvigorated the streetscape in Rushworth Street, Southwark. The design takes inspiration from the industrial legacy of the area and engages harmoniously with its surroundings. A curved, articulated façade draws visitors in and responds to the Grade II listed residential building opposite. It serves to stagger the horizontal form of the 65 metre frontage, with deep window reveals creating a varied envelope and enhancing the sense of depth in the narrow street.

The façade is punctuated by an arresting double-height entrance, formed from Italian crystalline cast glass bricks. The change in materiality and texture creates a focal point at the heart of the façade, which is welcoming and inviting as the softness of the internal lighting filters through the translucent venetian fabric.

The light industrial-feel continues throughout the interiors, evident in the minimal palette of textured and weathered steel, glass, shuttered concrete and black detailing that creates an inviting balance of soft and harder materiality.

The ambition of the team was to design the perfect working environment for users, improving their productivity and promoting physical and mental wellbeing. Agile spaces allow for different work modes, and the use of innovative technology allows occupiers to monitor variables directly from an app and access a variety of services and amenities.

This technology-first approach creates a responsive and productive environment that promotes wellbeing and sustainability. A central sensor platform is embedded with an Internet of Things (IoT) technology that collects real time data optimising building environment and operation, including air quality, density of occupancy, temperature, lights and noise levels.

These features earned Southworks the title of “The World’s Smartest Building” at the Futureproof Awards, and contributed to it becoming the first building in the UK to achieve the Smart Building Certification Platinum title.

To promote wellbeing, there is a palpable connection to the natural environment. The building has a strong vertical rhythm and users have access to a range of outdoor spaces, including a communal roof terrace and terraces that wrap around the building at levels 2, 3, 4 and 5. Openable, warehouse-style windows feature throughout the generously proportioned office spaces and the bathrooms and staircase all benefit from an abundance of natural light and views to the outside.

To minimise the operational energy in the construction phase, existing building materials were recycled in the new structure. Design decisions like the orientation of the site, the ratio of glazing to solid wall and U-value specification all contributed to optimising the building’s performance and reducing energy consumption. The main roof level also hosts a bio solar roof providing a source of renewable energy that enhances ecological value of the building. The team is immensely proud that these interventions all contributed to the scheme achieving a BREEAM Excellent design rating.