Eden Campus

Major mixed-use development in a green urban setting

This major redevelopment in the heart of Kingston-upon-Thames will offer a modern and flexible office campus, situated within a high quality landscaped setting.  The two office buildings provide 33,000m² of office space, set within a woodland walk.  The Eden Campus has been designed to maximize space and flexibility within the buildings and will offer a dramatic column-free environment by using long-spanning structural cell beams with integrated services.  A connecting bridge and reception allow circulation between the buildings, so they can work as one, or as separate offerings.  The striking façade steps back at upper terrace levels, to break the building bulk and to afford striking views across Kingston and the River Thames.  The Campus is to be served by a new multistorey car park with a parkland roof and significant cycle parking. The design aspiration is to allow repurposing of this structure when car demand falls in future years.

The planning application includes an outline proposal for a future residential development close to the Hogsmill River. The building will be set back 8m from the Hogsmill River to improve the environmental buffer zone and encourage biodiversity on the site.  The River will be remodelled to include a naturalised bank where culvert walls currently stand, dramatically improving the environment and ecological value of the site.   This project is aiming for BREEAM Excellent rating and is being developed with a low level of embodied carbon.  Integrated drainage and SuDS strategy will be introduced to the scheme in keeping with the requirement of the National Planning Framework.

The site is in an area of high flood risk. Substantial works have been incorporated into the scheme to safeguard both the development and the local area.  The natural flow of the floodwater has been modelled and the buildings have been carefully planned to allow floodwater to encroach without compromising the structures, and without impeding flow. A system of flood vaults provide storage and flood water movement through the building footprints and an overall betterment is achieved for each and every flood event, including climate change allowances

Image credit and copyright to Darling Associates