Growing green

A pioneering canalside development is leading the way as an example of one of London's greenest buildings.

Energy-saving features incorporated into six-storey Adelaide Wharf on the banks of the Regent's Canal have made it among the most environmentally-friendly developments to be constructed in the capital

It is scheduled to be completed in September and will create 147 new homes for rent or sale, 41 of which will be affordable key worker homes at significant discounts for teachers, nurses, firefighters, ambulance crews, police officers and public servants.

Another 33 homes are earmarked as socially-rented accommodation, with the remainder for private sale. There will also be 700 square metres of workspace.

It will have a "living" green roof covered in growing sedum plants, which will act as an insulator as well as attracting birds and insects. "It absorbs the rainwater and what seeps through is carried down into sunken water storage wells below ground to be used to water the central courtyard gardens or the small wildflower meadow we plan along the canal," said development manager, Peter Reay of residential-led urban regeneration developer, First Base.

"With low-energy lightbulbs, energy-saving heating systems and automatic light switches, the development has attained a number of industry-leading standards, including the government's eco-homes 'excellence' rating." he added.

Adelaide Wharf is a pilot scheme to help tackle the shortage of affordable, quality housing in the capital.

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