A life-sciences led, mixed-use development that will lead the new SC1 Life Science and Innovation District at London Bridge, deliver significant public realm improvements, and meet ambitious full lifecycle carbon targets.
The twenty-storey building is designed to accommodate flexible medical and R&D use, alongside retail, commercial, and affordable workspace. As part of the development, an existing warehouse is being retrofitted for community use to provide ground floor retail and a first-floor space that can be used for events and exhibitions. KPF implemented the Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust Adaptable Estates Strategy to create highly resilient, long-life, loose-fit building that incorporates increased floor-to-floor heights, a more rigid structure to control vibration, and spatial provision for systems to support healthcare use.
A strong urban greening agenda has been developed, with landscaped roof terraces, roof gardens, and a new urban garden supporting biodiversity. These features reduce the heat island effect and create a pleasant environment that supports wellbeing. A high-performance façade, mixed-mode ventilation, all-electric system, air-source heat pumps, and integrated PV demonstrate a commitment to achieve net-zero operational carbon. The project also targets a 27% reduction in embodied carbon on GLA benchmarks.
Vinegar Yard follows the award-winning St Thomas Street East Framework. Conceived by KPF, this mission brought together the owners of four prominent sites to develop a joint plan for social and economic regeneration, focussing specifically on landscaping, the public realm, the relationship between individual sites, and a social charter for the district.
