The Forge

Located on Southwark Bridge Road, The Forge replaces a tired portal frame warehouse and office building with two new buildings offering 139,000 sqft of best in class, sustainable workspace. The form and massing are a series of stepped volumes that mediate the scale of the buildings to the perimeter streetscape. Running north to south is a new public route through the urban block, punctuated by a landscaped courtyard space.

Reminiscent of the site’s former phosphor bronze factory, the façade is wrapped in an elegant ribbing of vertical bronze fins carefully articulated to recall the steel bridges and walkways that still cross many of Southwark’s narrow streets. Subtly varied shades are applied in different colour combinations to each block, helping to differentiate the volumes that form the buildings, as well as the buildings from each other. The changing rhythm of the fins vertically adds another layer of articulation of the blocks.

Occupant wellbeing has been thoughtfully considered - floor to ceiling windows introduce abundant natural light across each floor while an expansive reception welcomes occupants and their guests. The provision of extensive cycle spaces and state of the art end-of-trip facilities encourage active travel while the introduction of a 298 m2 green roof contributes to local biodiversity.

The Forge is Landsec’s first Net Zero Carbon development and the first major commercial development in the world to be built using the highly sustainable platform approach to design for manufacture and assembly (P-DfMA) developed with Bryden Wood. This approach to MMC helps to reduce embodied carbon emissions over more traditional construction methodologies, whilst saving time and costs. Working closely with Landsec, we evolved a project that embraces an ethos of doing more with less, of responding to the industrial character of the surrounding cultural buildings and a long-life loose-fit approach to workspace.

Targeted BREEAM Excellent, NABERS UK 5 Stars and WELL Gold, The Forge is committed to delivering sustainable operations and wellbeing to its community. The building is powered with 100% renewable electricity, including the use of 107 PV panels, high performance glazing to optimise temperatures and lighting and a rainwater harvesting system.