Delivering net zero ready living at Canada Water
Whitecode Consulting has provided client British Land with Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing (MEP) designs, energy assessments and energy strategies for a major regeneration development in Canada Water, South London.
The Canada Water Masterplan is a 15-year plan to deliver a new urban centre for Canada Water. Led by British Land in partnership with Southwark Council, the plan includes a new town centre, thousands of net zero carbon homes, sustainable workspaces, retail units and a leisure centre.
Whitecode Consulting were asked by clients Wates on behalf of British Land to provide comprehensive MEP designs and energy strategies for a mixed-use building, comprising of 186 apartments, retail space at ground level and commercial space from levels one to five. This formed part of the developer’s ambition for Canada Water to become a net zero neighbourhood by 2030.
The client was keen for the building to meet a number of accreditations, including Home Quality Mark (HQM), Building Research Establish Energy Assessments (BREEAM) and the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS).
The project required a cooling system, with the aim for cooling to be introduced into all residential units. Whitecode Consulting was brought into the project at Stage 5, however, which meant MEP designs needed to be introduced at a stage where all building designs had already been established.
In response to this challenge, Whitecode Consulting implemented an Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) refrigerant system. Highly efficient and low maintenance, the ASHP helped the client meet sustainability objectives as it is a renewable source of energy and emits zero carbon emissions. It also provides significant savings on heating costs compared to traditional fossil fuel-based heating systems.
Due to the building’s notable height, Whitecode Consulting also needed to design a low and high-pressure system. Gas was removed from the heating systems in line with changes made under Approved Document L.
To replenish energy supply for the heating system, Whitecode designed the cooling system’s Water Source Heat Pump (WSHP) to feed into the heating system. The heat that is expelled as waste from the cooling system will be reused to heat the commercial areas of the building, thus making use of a by-product to reduce fossil fuel usage.
Dean Loizou, Design Director at Whitecode Consulting, was heavily involved in the project: “Joining the project at Stage 5 meant the core design decisions had already been established, so the challenge was integrating efficient building services within a highly constrained environment while still achieving ambitious sustainability targets.
“By introducing a carefully coordinated air source and water source heat pump strategy, we were able to provide cooling to all residential units, eliminate gas from the heating system and recover waste heat to support the commercial spaces. The result is a more efficient and future-ready building that aligns with the wider net zero vision for Canada Water.”
The Canada Water development demonstrates how carefully engineered MEP strategies can help large mixed-use schemes meet increasingly demanding performance and sustainability requirements. With urban regeneration projects continuing to prioritise operational efficiency and reduced carbon emissions, coordinated building services design will remain central to achieving long-term environmental and commercial performance.
