UK’s largest electric net zero office: £235m contract award

Welput, the specialist central London office fund managed by BentallGreenOak, will start construction of 105 Victoria Street, SW1, later this year and has awarded a £235 million building contract to Skanska.

Redevelopment of the former House of Fraser department store will create a 43,700 sq m (470,000 sq ft) mixed use building. In addition to sixteen storeys of offices there will be retail units on the ground floor.

When Westminster City Council granted consent for the project in April 2021 it included ancillary uses, such as an amenity floor with communal restaurant/bar, a village square and an activity zone with indoor sports hall.

Skanska’s contract is for the construction as well as the mechanical and electrical engineering services. The building will be the UK’s largest all-electric net zero office building – with no gas supply and no diesel generator – and no fossil fuels will be employed, either in operation or during construction. It is also the largest speculative office project to commence in London since the pandemic.

The development will target BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ and WELL Platinum certifications. The designs include ultra-low carbon construction to ensure the carbon emitted through the construction cycle will be offset within six years of the new building’s operation in comparison to the retention of the existing building.

Construction is expected to start during Q3 this year and to be complete in Q1 2026.