East London is to be the location for a major Green Enterprise District, the flagship of which will be a £30 million low carbon exhibition and conference centre built by Siemens, the global engineering and technology services company.
Located in the Thames Gateway, the
Green Enterprise District will stretch across six boroughs in East London – Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Waltham Forest, Barking and Dagenham and Havering – and will cover 48km2 of land. It will aim to position the capital as a centre for
low carbon business.
The Siemens Pavilion will lie at the heart of the District, located on undeveloped plots of industrial land at the western end of the Royal Docks near to the ExCeL centre and London City airport. Described as a landmark building, it will act as a permanent showcase for sustainable
technologies.
The Green Enterprise District is expected to create 6000 new jobs, acting as a magnate for companies and organisations active in low carbon and environmental goods and services, including
waste management, recovery and recycling and
renewable energy. "We envisage that the District will be a vibrant, international hub incubating dozens of low carbon
businesses to transform what has historically been some of the poorest parts of the capital," said the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, announcing the plans.
Sustainable design and construction
The Siemens Pavilion, itself a showcase for sustainable
design and construction, will comprise an exhibition, a 300-seat auditorium and facilities for educational tour groups. It will cover an area of 3,687m2, over three storeys.
The
building will be constructed using recycled steel and industrial by-product cement and will be designed to maximise the use of natural daylight, as well as incorporating high performance glazing, photovoltaic panels and
energy efficient lighting. It will also feature rainwater harvesting,
water efficient appliances, ground source heat pumps and solar water heating. Sustainable drainage and water efficient landscaping are also part of the plans.
The centre expects to attract around 100,000 visitors a year and will house around 230 Siemens employees as well as providing the potential for around 50 new local jobs.
Andreas J. Goss, Siemens chief executive said the aim of the pavilion was to "create an attractive focal point that celebrates London’s ambition and leadership in green technologies and sustainability".
The Siemens Pavilion is expected to be completed and open to visitors in early 2012.
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