The Green House has been designed as an innovative, sustainable response to a derelict 1960s concrete frame building, bringing over 7,000sqm of affordable office space to environmentally and ethically minded small businesses in east London. Sustainable buildings attract sustainably-focused businesses as tenants, this is core to Ethical Property’s ethos. The 1960s building had been derelict for some time however the concrete frame and stripped brick façade were in a suitable condition to be salvaged. Set back from the building line of the street a strip of unoccupied land to the front created a lack of street presence along Cambridge Heath Road.

The Green House was designed to minimise the impact of the building on the environment both in construction and operation. A series of engineered timber extensions revitalise the concrete structure and increase the performance of the building’s fabric, making it suitable for use as a modern office space.

The Green House exemplifies the concept of a truly sustainable building with 2,200 tons CO2 being saved during the build. Keeping the existing frame rather than rebuilding in concrete saved 400 tons CO2. A further 400 tons CO2 was saved through the use of timber rather than concrete, and a further the 1,400 tons CO2 is stored in the timber structure. Additionally, the deliveries to site were reduced by 80% and the sustainable design halves CO2 emissions in use from the notional benchmark and achieves a 50% improvement in energy efficiency.