Derwent London’s Network W1 project on Tottenham Court Road reached a major milestone this week, with the first structural steel columns of the building’s frame installed. The installation marks the start of the main construction works on site, which are being delivered by Kier. Once complete the nine floor building will provide 134,000 sq. ft of Category A office space and 5,000 sq. ft of retail space in the heart of London’s prime W1 postcode.
With carbon reduction a key focus of the build, the project will aim to achieve a better embodied carbon intensity than the Greater London Authority target of 600 kgCO2e/m2. The structural steel frame consists mainly of recycled material, which will save approximately 1,280 tonnes of embodied carbon emissions compared to using non-recycled steel. Further carbon saving initiatives include the use of a lower carbon cement replacement within the basement, core and precast concrete façade.
Modern methods of construction are widely used in the build with the external façade made from precast concrete panels manufactured and glazed off-site, and off-site mechanical and electrical modules used for plant rooms and riser areas. The building’s design prioritises wellbeing in the workplace, with 2.95m floor-to-ceiling heights that allow natural light to flood each floor.
"We are proud to be working with Derwent London to deliver this prestigious and sustainability focused mixed-use building on London’s iconic Tottenham Court Road. This high profile project forms part of our strategic goal for continued market growth in London’s private sector.
We bring our extensive experience in delivering large scale, mixed use commercial schemes on tight inner city sites to this project. We are implementing our integrated technical excellence, working with our in-house carbon team to reduce embodied carbon through our delivery and also utilising modern methods of construction and offsite production to deliver this showcase development for our client."
David Rowsell, Managing Director, Kier Construction London
"This is our first project with Kier and we are delighted with the collaborative working across the whole team. We look forward to successful delivery in the second half of 2025."
Richard Baldwin, Director of Development, Derwent London
Kier’s expanding private market portfolio in London includes The Refinery, a landmark high-spec lab cut & curve, deep retrofit development in Hammersmith; TIDE Bankside, a net zero carbon commercial development in Southwark; and The Fitzrovia, another commercially led mixed-use scheme in Tottenham Court Road.