EDGE London Bridge – Carbon oriented design and construction

EDGE London Bridge is set to become one of London’s most sustainable office towers. The Dutch developer selected Mace as Principal Contractor to deliver Edge’s first London development, a 28-storey office building featuring 38000m2 in front of London Bridge Station. Due to open in the second quarter of 2026, the building is targeting BREEAM Outstanding, WELL Platinum, and NABERS UK certifications. The project also aims to exceed the energy use intensity targets for offices set out by the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge, and deliver a
contractual upfront embodied carbon target.

EDGE London Bridge is both innovative in design and imaginative in its scope, with a strong focus on carbon-oriented design and construction. Reducing carbon emissions is a project priority and part of the developer and contractor commitments to tackle climate change.

Edge has launched its Net Zero strategy, aligned with the Science Based Targets, setting out a clear roadmap to achieve Absolute Zero by 2050 at the company and projects level.

The ‘EDGE Net Zero Carbon Framework’ for projects defines carbon emissions percentage reduction and ensures all projects’ carbon emissions are offset by Edge. By 2030:

• • The carbon emissions associated with our operations (scope 1 and 2) will be reduced by at least 50% compared to our pre-COVID 2019 baseline (iv) in line with Edge’s commitment at the Science Based Targets initiative.
  • All projects will be within the 50% reduction pathway, if not more.
  • Edge will be offsetting 50% less compared to 2022.

David Barnby – Project Senior Development Manager da Edge

Mace has made several public sustainability commitments, including The Climate Pledge, Race to Zero, Concrete Zero, EP100 and Steel Zero. Mace has been awarded a Silver level commendation by CDP for its outstanding sustainable supply chain engagement, placing it in the top 8% of companies. Carbon neutral since 2020, Mace is committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2040 and has set the following 2026 Responsible Business priorities:

• 10 million tonnes of carbon savings for clients.
• 10% year-on-year carbon footprint reduction.
• 500ha of delivered biodiversity gain.
• £700 million of annual value to society.

The developer of EDGE London Bridge has suggested a contractual embodied carbon target for upfront carbon emissions (A1-A5), which refers to the carbon emissions during the construction stage of a project from the manufacture of building materials, transport, and site activities. Mace has accepted the challenge and is determined to achieve this target, one of the first of its kind in the industry.

Each design decision has been considered to minimise carbon in construction and operation. Post-tensioned concrete slabs, concrete with cement replacement (e.g., 70% GGBS in piles and basement slabs), low carbon steel, CLT slabs, and a lean-optimised structural design help reduce the embodied carbon of the structures. The building envelope has been designed to respond to environmental conditions, allowing optimal daylight access while limiting unwanted seasonal heat loss or gain, positively affecting energy consumption and operational carbon emissions. Smart Building Energy Management technology in the building provides personalised workplace control, also reducing energy consumption. Green spaces designed for climate resilience include native species that require less irrigation and
support bird nesting and insect life.

The structural grid and MEP services have been designed with flexibility in mind to accommodate different types of tenant needs; the unitised façade modules facilitate ease of maintenance and replacement; and the steel structures have bolted connections to allow for disassembly and reuse in the future. This approach optimises embodied carbon and aligns with Circular Economy principles.

To ensure efficient and environmentally friendly delivery to construction sites, Mace uses a just-in-time approach which requires all deliveries to be booked via a system that tracks distance travelled, truck type, and emissions associated with transport. Another Mace bespoke system monitors site activities such as electricity, water, and fuel consumption. The site’s electricity tariff is renewably sourced, and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO fuel) is used instead of diesel to reduce carbon emissions from non-road mobile plant and equipment.

A lifecycle carbon assessment has been undertaken during the design stage and is now updated by the Mace Sustainability team during construction to report progress towards the upfront embodied carbon target. Building Information Models (BIM), information on materials specified and procured, and actual transport and construction activity data feed into the lifecycle carbon assessment completed by Mace.

The sustainability team is working closely with the package managers and commercial team to make sure that design strategies, construction methods, and materials are chosen considering its upfront embodied carbon impact on the project. This means that our decisions are not solely based on cost, programme, and quality, but also on the upfront carbon impact.

Mace believes “every role is a carbon role”, and to ensure all team members can identify potential carbon savings in their work packages, the company has completed internal trainings and initiatives to upskill all team members. Particularly on the EDGE London Bridge project, Mace is ensuring early engagement with the supply chain to identify low-carbon material options in the design and procurement stage.

Mace and Edge are on this journey together towards pursuing a sustainable world and delivering a low carbon sustainable development.