Brown Roof Upgrade at One Bedford Avenue
Owned by Ashby Capital, One Bedford Avenue is an office and retail development in London’s West End. The mixed-use space occupies a prominent corner site at the south end of Tottenham Court Road close to Bedford Square and the British Museum.
One Bedford Avenue comprises 85,000 sq. ft. of high-class retail and office accommodation over ground and seven upper floors. The building offers roof terraces on levels four to seven and a ceiling height of 2.7m.
Enhancing wildlife and biodiversity
The building has been designed to meet the latest environmental performance and occupier requirements and has achieved a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’. The scheme also includes a green & brown roof system. The brown is a sedum type roof on top, the green areas are small grass areas located on the four balconies.
The roof had a large sedum area installed at base-build, however managing agent BNP Paribas Real Estate (BNPPRE) explored opportunities to utilise the space and add strategic features to increase biodiversity in the area. To enhance biodiversity, BNPPRE liaised with Camden Council’s ecology team, and following their advice, BNPRRE added several measures to support and protect target species. The specific items have been introduced to encourage bees, insects, and birds (particularly the Black Redstart & Sparrow) to the area.
As a key target species, the Black Redstart was considered as notable to the upgrade of the roof. The Black Redstart is listed as a priority species for the London Biodiversity Action Plan, as a Bird of Conservation Concern, and a Red Data Book species. London is one of the UK’s most important locations for this species; their population in the capital constitutes between 10 & 30% of the national breeding population – currently estimated at less than 100 pairs nesting in Britain.
Further measures added in August 2021 include:
2 Planters with Ivy & Jasmine which are great for bees & pollinators.
2 Bird Boxes specific to the Black Redstart & Sparrow, the primary species in the area.
20cm bamboo canes to provide shelter for bees.
Bricks with 10mm holes to provide shelter for insects.
Rocks to provide shelter for insects.
The area is overlooked by several buildings and is aesthetically pleasing to those that can see it. Whilst occupiers cannot access the area directly, they are given updates on the installation via email which are well received. A new smart app is about to be introduced to provide live updates to the occupiers and via social media sites, Twitter and Instagram. Official occupier meetings take place quarterly, where the green roof is a key subject of discussion.
To monitor its value, two maintenance visits are planned each year. The visits are conducted by the site contractors to check the condition of the plants and apparatus. Regarding wildlife, future plans are in place to conduct ecological monitoring with an action plan to enhance the multifunctional value of the site.
Collaborator:
Ashby Capital
Key Facts:
High-class retail and office (85,000 sq. ft)
Achieved BREEAM 2014 Excellent
Key Features:
2 Planters with Ivy & Jasmine which are great for bees & pollinators.
2 Bird Boxes specific to the Black Redstart & Sparrow, the primary species in the area.
20cm bamboo canes to provide shelter for bees.
Bricks with 10mm holes to provide shelter for insects.
Rocks to provide shelter for insects.
.