Development News
Ecological Biota! Aquarium Design Unveiled for Silvertown Quays
The developers of the £1.5 billion Royal Docks site, Silvertown Quays Limited, KUD International and landowners London Development Agency recently revealed the final designs for Biota!, the aquarium designed by renowned architect Terry Farrell & Partners which will be operated by the Zoological Society of London.
The final design for Biota! incorporates an ETFE roof, a material being used on some of the most innovative new buildings around the world, such as the Eden Project in Devon, the Allianz Stadium in Munich and the Beijing National Aquatics Centre which forms part of the 2008 Olympics.
ETFE is a highly sustainable material with many advantages. ETFE is translucent and allows natural daylight to flood in, enabling biomes - ecosystems with plants, fish, free flying birds, mammals and other animals - to thrive; it also facilitates natural ventilation.
The building is arranged around a central atrium and the first floor houses the open ocean and coral reef exhibits with day lit biomes on the upper floors. The exhibit areas represent diverse world habitats including the Amazon, the British Isles, the Indo-Pacific, and the Atlantic Ocean. The fifth exhibit area, called Living Conservation, focuses on protecting aquatic species and their habitats, the underlying message of Biota!
A detailed planning application for Biota! has now been submitted to the London Borough of Newham, and detailed design work on the building has commenced.
Thames Innovation Centre - an Eco-friendly Location for Businesses
The Thames Innovation Centre (TIC) www.thamesinnovationcentre.com is leading the way in providing an environmentally sustainable site for businesses in the region. The centre, based at Veridion Park in Erith, has been developed to specifically house knowledge-led companies working in engineering, science and the creative arts. In terms of benefits for businesses, the TIC, with its range of high quality offices and work spaces, IT training facilities and conference rooms, is a jewel in London Thames Gateway's crown.
Well placed to maximise the region's excellent transport connections and access to Europe and the City of London, the TIC expects to attract global companies not only looking for a European base, but those seeking to be more environmentally responsible.
The TIC is the first of a number of eco-friendly buildings planned for Veridion Park which, when fully developed, will cover 68 acres and provide a range of premises to meet the needs of companies in the area and new investors.
Royal Docks - London's First Zero Carbon Development
A planning application for the first zero carbon development in London is due to be submitted at the end of February. The Gallions Park scheme in the Royal Docks - previously known as One Gallions - is being developed by Crest Nicholson, BioRegional Quintain and Southern Housing Group, working with the London Development Agency to construct approximately 260 homes on the three acre brownfield site.
The scheme features a combined heating and power unit to provide renewable energy and the building design includes ‘high thermal massing' to minimise power and heat consumption. It will also accommodate an integrated waste management system, food growing and car and cycle clubs.
Overall the scheme will achieve level four of the Code for Sustainable Homes - a new national standard for sustainable design and construction of new homes, of which the highest level is six - but will have no net emissions from energy use, making it zero carbon.
East London Transit Secures Additional Funding
Phase 1B of the East London Transit (ELT) scheme - a bus route linking Barking and Dagenham Dock in east London via the Barking Riverside development area - has been awarded funding by the government.
Expected to be operational in 2010, the ELT will increase local businesses' access to the region's diverse labour pool and speed up the delivery of the region's rejuvenation.
Phase 1A of ELT, which will connect Ilford to Dagenham Dock via Barking town centre, part of Transport for London's £10 billion five-year investment programme, is due to open in autumn 2009.
Mayor of London Gives East London Green Grid the Green Light
In November, the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, published the East London Green Grid - a guide to creating a network of interlinked, high quality open spaces aimed at weaving together town centres, public transport, the Thames and the surrounding countryside with the area's newly created communities.
The Green Grid's sole purpose is to ensure that the regeneration of east London delivers sustainable communities that lead to an improved quality of life for its residents long after the London 2012 Games. Pleasant surroundings will also ensure more residents are attracted to the region, empowering local businesses to benefit from a sustainable local workforce.
The guide divides east London into six Green Grid areas, for which each has its own plan and includes the Lea Valley in the north and Bexley and the River Cray in the south. The area plan also proposes that £200 million is invested into 300 projects over the next five years.
