Bankside Yards, a £2.5bn project under construction in London’s Southwark, brings two ideas from overseas which, while not that new elsewhere, could make it much easier for large mixed-use developments to reach net zero here. The first part of this equation is that the project follows the Asian model of dense mixed-use development based around a major transport node. Unlike most mixed-use schemes in the UK, which tend to zone commercial and residential elements (think King’s Cross and Canary Wharf), this project jumbles up uses and packs them into a compact 5.5 acre site.

Secondly, this density and mix will make it much easier for the project to achieve its self-proclaimed aim to be the UK’s first net zero major mixed-use development. The buildings will be linked by a low temperature network of pipes enabling waste heat from one building to be used to heat another. This will slash energy use to much lower levels than heating and cooling individual buildings.