5 Broadgate

Setting a new standard for offices in the capital

Delivering one of the greenest commercial office developments in the City of London was always going to be a challenge. Not only has it achieved the highest levels of sustainability, the high profile development has been a signal of confidence in London as the world's leading financial centre.

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5 Broadgate Project summary

Client

British Land

Key partners

Make Architects, Buro Happold, M3 Consulting Limited

Services provided

Construction management, Construct, Cost consultancy, Specialist services

Sectors

Offices, Commercial

Locations

UK and Europe, UK - London and south-east England

Project timeline

Start date
August 2010
End date
December 2016
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Project story

5 Broadgate is without doubt one of the most complex construction projects in the City, involving the demolition and construction of office facilities in a logistically restricted location. Our experience of developments on constrained sites allowed us to minimise disruption to neighbours and the local community by introducing innovative demolition techniques.

Careful stakeholder management has been vital on this project. Over looked by three dauntingly high profile neighbours: the existing UBS buildings, Deutsche Bank and ICAP, the site is also just a few metres from Liverpool Street Station, one of the country’s largest transport interchanges.


This project demonstrates our breadth of services across the property lifecycle. We have been involved in the development since as far back as 2007, providing cost consultancy services. This role was then extended to a construction management contract following 12 months of delivering extensive utility diversions, enabling works and preconstruction advice to the client.

Broadgate Tunnel London Evening - Mace Group

Project stats

4 trading floors, each 1.5 acres, accommodating 750 traders per floor
13,000 tonnes of steel
175 fewer deliveries saved 17.5 tonnes of carbon - 106 fewer workers were needed on site

Points of note

Going for green

Designed to be one of the greenest office buildings in London, 5 Broadgate is proving to be a model for sustainable design. We have worked with the client team from the outset to make the vision a reality, including the installation of the largest solar array on an office building in Europe. In 2015 the project receiving a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating.

Building in resilience

Our MEP (Mechanical, Electrical and Public Health) team ensured that the building is highly resilient to support the tenant, and in particular UBS's trading needs, with their requirements designed into the base build. We made extensive use of 3D modelling and worked with the UBS team so that they could review and approve all selections, then integrated their approval into the testing and commissioning of all works.

Integrating into the local community

We worked with local businesses and residents, keeping them updated and offering reassurance by hosting weekly liaison meetings, all to ensure minimal disruption to the local community. It is not surprising that the project scored 46/50 on the Considerate Constructors Scheme when you consider the fact that it supported 10,000 construction jobs and contributed £383m gross value to the economy, including local jobs, apprenticeships and training courses.

A 'prefabrication first' approach

The entire team - including the supply chain - was challenged to implement a strategy that exhausts every opportunity to prefabricate. This meant that we were able to prefabricate and modularise the plant rooms and corridor modules, as well as a host of individual components. The environmental statistics and time saved on site speak for themselves: 175 fewer deliveries were needed, saving 17.5 tonnes of carbon, and 106 fewer workers were needed on site.

“5 Broadgate is a fantastic example of how sustainable a corporate headquarters can be. This was a high priority for British Land and we ensured that sustainability considerations were front of mind throughout the planning and delivery of the development.”

“The Mace story began at Broadgate, so it's fitting that we're now seeing the completion of 5 Broadgate for one of our longest standing clients. This is an iconic office development in the heart of the City of London and one we're rightly proud of.”

“UBS’s commitment to the City of London and Broadgate demonstrates London’s global appeal as a major financial centre. The 5 Broadgate development has not only helped to retain jobs in the city but has also created thousands more during its construction.”