Global climate leaders dedicated to accelerating the transition to a clean energy future came together at the Breakthrough Energy Summit in London earlier this summer. Hosted by Breakthrough founder Bill Gates said, he opened the conference stating that “We are in the middle of a Clean Industrial Revolution”.

TBC.London’s developer, Basil Demeroutis of FORE Partnership was there to talk about how we can tackle one of the main sources of today’s global greenhouse gas emissions: buildings. Buildings emit carbon in two ways: when we build them and when we use them. To get to net zero, we need to use greener materials to build and we need to make existing buildings more energy efficient.

There’s no time to waste. 80% of office buildings in London are rated EPC C or below, failing to meet Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards that are likely to come into force by 2030 and falling behind on the path to net zero. A problem of this scale takes collaboration and innovation to solve.

Innovation has been at the heart of our mission to turn TBC.London into one of the cleanest, greenest office buildings in the UK. We have partnered with a range of cutting-edge companies – including some Breakthrough Energy portfolio companies – that are creating important clean technology solutions.

When refurbishing TBC.London, we worked with Aeroseal, a genius energy efficiency solution that uses AI and IoT-equipped installation hardware, to identify even the smallest of air leakages and inject a fog of sealant particles to improve energy efficiency and indoor comfort.

The lift lobbies are clad with innovative Biocement tiles. Biomason’s multi-patented process harnesses carbon the same way nature does. Biocement grows in ambient temperatures, building with carbon to create a beautiful product.

The floor tiles in TBC.London’s are created from planet-friendly WasteBasedSlip. By using demolition waste, industrial waste and by-products from production and recycling processes, Stonecycling make these tiles with at least 60% waste and upcycle 22 kg of waste per m².

Our reception ceiling has a natural wood fibre panel that is not only great for acoustics, but also for the environment. A combination of wood and cement creates Troldtekt’s unique sound absorbing properties. In many years the end of its use, it can be completely composted and returned to the environment as nutrients or recycled into raw materials to be used again.

Parts of the inside of the building are painted with Airlite paint. Airlite reduces greenhouse gases by as much as 90%, purifying the air we breathe. It significantly reduces our CO2 footprint, VOCs, and waste. It is also antimicrobial and has been proven to kill 99.9% of bacteria and moulds on contact. Each 100 sq m of walls painted with Airlite is equivalent to planting 100 sq m of forest.

Innovation is hard but we are proving that it is possible. As Gates has said, when we work together we can turn pipe dreams into a pipeline of transformative solutions.

« Back to news