dn-a are delighted to announce that after 9 years – Refinery, ARC West London is complete and officially open.
dn-a had the pleasure of attending the official opening hosted by ARC (Advanced Research Clusters) to celebrate this pivotal point for ARC’s flagship building in March. It was a brilliant way to commemorate the incredible hard work and success of all that were involved. The night was celebrated in style, with ‘experimental’ cocktails and delicious canapes flowing all night.
This building is a true testament to everyone’s efforts in bringing ARC’s original vision to life. This being a new riverside home for science and innovation in London that reconnects with the surrounding local communities and the Thames Path. It marks a massive milestone for London’s life science sector as Refinery offers 150,000 sq.ft of lab-enabled floor space situated in the heart of West London in Hammersmith, with stunning views overlooking the Thames.
It is also home to a rich selection of amenities for ‘members’ to use, including a business lounge, bookable meeting rooms, events space and 5th floor clubroom and a terrace with views out over the Thames and sits alongside its ‘sister’ building Waterfront, which is a lab-ready space available from 1,000 to 11,000 sq.ft.
“[Refinery] is a cracking testament to all the hard work, thought and love… poured into the project and the great teamwork throughout. We’ve produced a highly functional, attractive and adaptive building set in [a] first-class public realm that’s given the local community a lovely addition to their neighbourhood.”
– Daniel Pagella, Director of Asset Management at ARC
Not only is the launch of Refinery at ARC West London monumental, it has recently been awarded the Lower Carbon in Construction certification by Natural Carbon Solutions, which was supported by Eight Versa who undertook an RICS-aligned Whole Lifecycle Carbon assessment at RIBA Stage 4 and RIBA Stage 6. The shell and core has achieved 340 kgCO2e/sqm, meaning Refinery is aligned with the LETI 2030 Design Target (<350kgCO2e/sqm) and with the UK Net Zero Carbon Building Standard Pilot 2030 Limit (355kgCO2e/sqm) for commercial offices, which is 5 years ahead of the predicted schedule!
Sustainability is at the forefront of every design decision for dn-a and we implemented many carbon-reducing initiatives which definitely helped contribute to this achievement. The combination of new build steel frame and existing concrete structure has offered significant carbon savings with a 30% reduction in embodied carbon over fully new concrete construction. Being all-electric, the building can deliver highly energy-efficient lab-enabled floor space with a 40% reduction in carbon emissions over its original performance through its envelope, building services and renewable technologies helping it achieve EPC ‘A’ BREEAM ‘Excellent’.
dn-a are proud to have been part of an incredible team of people who were able to bring this scheme to life and watch it flourish. Thank you to everyone that was involved.