A stepping-stone for wildlife

The green roof at 7 Air Street provides 150 square metres of new wildlife habitat. The planting scheme, which includes a wide range of grasses and flowers, has been designed to encourage as many species as possible. Wildflowers will cater for bees, butterflies and moths from early spring through to late autumn when resources are usually scarce.

The roof will even sustain invertebrates at night-time, with the inclusion of the night-flowering catchfly to ensure that pollen and nectar are available at all hours.

A specialist insect hotel is the centrepiece to the roof, and sand and large log piles are strategically placed to provide habitat for species such as the iconic stag beetle and solitary bees. Nesting boxes have been installed to attract birdlife, including dedicated black redstart boxes to encourage one of London's most iconic and rare birds to inhabit the West End permanently.

An array of solar panels has been installed on the green roof, providing a mosaic of microclimates to encourage further biodiversity; the presence of the plants around the panels will help to regulate the air temperature and increase the efficiency of energy generation.