Welcome to Paradise SE11 the UK's lowest embodied carbon mass timber office development, achieving a carbon footprint 35% below the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge target. This six-storey exposed mass timber office building has transformed the disused Costa Coffee roastery on Old Paradise Street into a vibrant 63,250 sq ft (5,876 m³) workspace. Located opposite Damien Hirst’s Gallery and next to Old Paradise Gardens, this impressive building opened in May 2025.

The building is one block south of the River Thames in a stretch of Lambeth that's not a core office location, so the developers were strategic in the design phase to consider what would attract tenants into the area. They decided in the end to go with a hybrid solid timber low-carbon design.

Low carbon

Bywater Properties accurately predicted the market and selected the winning design with Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios named in Dezeen's Top 20 carbon-neutral buildings. The new generation of tenants want to support circular construction methods, and the  the letting agency received calls from potential tenants wanting to know more about the building's low embodied carbon credentials for Paradise before it even opened

The occupier market is well-informed about embodied and operational carbon and is prepared to relocate to the area for it. Prospective tenants are very upfront that they want to make climate-conscious decisions around where they lease because it helps them achieve their personal and corporate sustainability ambitions.

Health and Wellness

Another key reason for the strong interest in solid wood offices is health and wellness. A number of research studies have now also scientifically proven that workers in wood offices are less stressed than those in non-wood offices and even have decreased sick days and fewer health complaints. Download our whitepaper for more on this.

Insurance

Many developers in London remain concerned about insurance for mid to high-rise mass timber buildings since the aftermath of Grenfell Tower in 2017. The site was acquired in 2018 and received planning permission in early 2020. Happily, Paradise is well-insured because Bywater was incredibly sensible to involve insurers in the early stages of the design work and did not wait until close to practical completion when it would have been too late to make changes.

While it is still early days to compare benchmarks, there are signs across the industry that the insurance cost gap for timber buildings is narrowing relative to those of other materials and mass timber projects like Paradise will become more commonplace. Key to the success of this project was the use of a high-quality Sylva™ building kit by Stora Enso. The kits decrease construction schedules by at least 30%, which helps mitigate several insurance risks during the build phase. Less time under construction means less time for potential hazards and worksite injuries.

Long-term fixed property insurance for mass timber buildings requires an understanding of performance related to moisture, durability, and building enclosure detailing. While much of the commercial property considerations are site-specific, Sylva CLT kits have been rigorously tested for their performance in fire, moisture and long-term durability and come with a solid dose of reassurance, meeting the same testing requirements as other construction materials like concrete and steel. We look forward to seeing Paradise unfold. Please check back for site updates soon.

Specifications

Appealing to potential tenants who are becoming increasingly conscious of their own carbon credentials, Paradise is predicted to achieve:

BREEAM Excellent | WELL Gold rating | RIBA's 2030 | Climate Challenge | LETI's 2030 target

Read more about the project by the architects 

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