Environmental

2 Trafalgar Way is set to be the largest Passivhaus student accommodation scheme in Europe.

June 9, 2019

3 minute read

The development is a student residential-led mixed-use scheme, with three towers of 28, 36 and 46 storeys providing 1,672 student beds and 80 residential apartments. A four-storey podium will include 41,000 sq.ft commercial office space, as well as ancillary residential, indoor soft play-space for children and retail.

The commercial office space will be capable of supporting a number of university departments and also flexible and affordable working, including space for start-up ventures that will enjoy cross fertilisation with academia. The intention is to create an environment like the successfully delivered BaseKX in St Pancras with University College London.

In addition to providing high-quality accommodation, the project aims to achieve exemplar sustainability credentials, targeting both BREEAM Outstanding and Passivhaus certification, which once achieved, will make it the largest Passivhaus development in Europe.

Passivhaus set to reach Canary Wharf heights

A new development set to rise on the edge of towering Canary Wharf is equally tall in ambitions for building performance as it is in physical stature.

Planning has been granted for a triple-tower student accommodation complex in London’s Canary Wharf. Located on a 0.4ha vacant site at 2 Trafalgar Way, the scheme for student accommodation provider Urbanest, designed by architect Apt, consists of three 28-, 36- and 46-storey towers linked by a 4-storey podium, housing:

1,672 student bedrooms.
80 residential apartments.
4,000m² commercial space.
Indoor soft play-space for children and retail space.
10th floor skybridge connecting two of the tallest towers providing student amenity spaces.

There is hope that the commercial office areas will support several university departments and provide space for start-up ventures that will enjoy cross-fertilisation with academia.

Our vision for 2 Trafalgar Way was to create a vertical campus, where living, studying, and working co-exist, serving to create an enriching environment which will extend into the ground-floor public realm and beyond.

James Ewen, Apt project leader

Canary Wharf Towers: 2 Trafalgar Way. © Apt/ Urbanest

Passivhaus credentials will provide all occupants with excellent internal comfort. Tall buildings lend themselves well to meeting Passivhaus thanks to favourable form factors. Generally, the better the form factor, the less insulation is required to satisfy the standard. However, airtightness detailing, thermal bridging, ventilation & shading strategies all need great care & attention. Certification for a scheme with several uses, at such a scale, will pose interesting challenges that we look forward to following.

Once the proposal is Passivhaus accredited – it may become Europe’s largest Passivhaus development to date. It would also become London’s first Passivhaus certified high-rise. BREEAM Outstanding standard is also being targeted.

We’re very excited about the scheme’s sustainability credentials. Delivering the largest Passivhaus certified building in Europe is a massive undertaking and a testament to our commitment to creating the sort of places and spaces future generations want to live and work in. We have worked extremely hard over the past few years to create something exceptional that not only responds to the resilient demand we are seeing but is also a beautifully designed, and sustainable collection of buildings. We look forward to starting construction and proposed opening in time for the 2025/26 academic year.”

Anthony Mellalieu, Development Director, Urbanest

Aerial site view. Canary Wharf Towers: 2 Trafalgar Way. © Apt/ Urbanest

The scheme occupies a prominent position alongside the A1261 Aspen Way, a major arterial route. Proposals at ground level include enhancements to the public realm, delivering improved planting, pedestrian and cyclist connectivity, and 1,500 cycle spaces across the site.