Sustainability Report

Several material and design decisions have potential relevance to embodied impacts:

Durable anodised aluminium facade panels.

The facade uses champagne- and silver-coloured anodised aluminium panels, which have the durability and resistance to weathering as a way of reducing maintenance requirements over the building's service life.

High-performance low-iron glazing.

High-performance low-iron glazing is used across the facade. The stated purpose is to maximise daylight penetration and visual connection with the waterfront.

Open-air development rather than a fully enclosed retail box.

The project is organised as interconnected low-rise urban blocks with extensive outdoor circulation. This reduces the amount of circulation space that needs to be enclosed and mechanically conditioned, although this is primarily an operational-energy strategy rather than a directly quantified embodied-carbon measure.

Flexible floor plates.

The project uses large, open, and flexible floor areas apart from the necessary structural/core elements. This can support longer-term adaptability and reduce the likelihood of major reconstruction when commercial uses change.

Open-air, low-rise configuration

The project deliberately avoids the conventional enclosed shopping-mall model. Its interconnected low-rise blocks and outdoor circulation routes increase permeability and support natural ventilation. The design team states that this configuration reduces dependence on enclosed, mechanically conditioned environments.

Outdoor circulation

Pedestrian routes, ramps, terraces, bridges, and walkways are integrated into the development. Moving circulation outdoors can reduce the amount of conditioned common-area space compared with a fully enclosed mall.

Dual-ground-floor strategy

The site's natural level difference is used to create two retail frontage levels. This allows the waterfront level and city level to operate as active entrances rather than requiring a single deeply enclosed circulation system.

Daylight

The high-performance low-iron glazing is intended to maximise daylight penetration and visual connection to the waterfront.

Landscape integration

Terraced landscapes, green roofs, waterfront promenades and elevated pedestrian connections are integrated into the development. These strategies contribute to the site's environmental performance and reduce reliance on entirely enclosed circulation environments.

Photovoltaic generation

This is the clearest quantified energy strategy provided by the project team. The project incorporates approximately 2,000 m² of photovoltaic roofing. The PV system is arranged in response to the concentric/ripple geometry of the roof. The reported figures are:

• PV area: approximately 2,000 m²
• Annual comprehensive utilisation: 900,000 kWh/year
• Reported annual actual energy savings: 99 tce/year

For context, the 900,000 kWh/year figure corresponds to approximately 5.6 kWh/m²/year when divided by the project's 160,000 m² gross floor area. 

The principal strategy is material durability. But the project provides some relevant strategies.

Anodised aluminium facade

The champagne and silver anodised aluminium panels are described as durable and weather-resistant. This can reduce the frequency of replacement and associated maintenance interventions over the service life.

High-performance glazing

The facade uses high-performance low-iron glazing. Its daylight performance contributes primarily to operational energy, while its long-term service-life implications could also reduce replacement frequency, although no replacement-cycle data is provided.

Accessible external circulation

The development's bridges, ramps, terraces and walkways form an extensive pedestrian network. However, the project documentation does not specify maintenance access, cleaning regimes, replacement cycles or maintenance-related emissions.