Sustainable Ventures, London: Europe’s largest low-carbon workspace cluster

Sustainable Ventures, a coworking hub for sustainable start-ups, has transformed 40,000 sq ft of long-abandoned space inside County Hall into Europe’s largest low-carbon workspace cluster, offering a scalable blueprint for circular, climate-positive workplace design. Developed in collaboration with Material Works Architecture, the project brings together a rotating community of start-ups and partners within a highly flexible, heritage-led environment operating at 97% capacity.

The strategy centred on refurbishment over new-build, responding to the growing recognition that embodied carbon will account for up to half of construction emissions by 2050. Rather than extensive strip-out, the team adopted a minimal-intervention approach – retaining the Grade II* listed structure, exposing existing surfaces and introducing new materials only where functionally necessary.

Spatially, the workplace is designed to support rapid organisational change. Non-fixed workstations, reconfigurable wall systems and open collaboration zones allow early-stage companies to scale, pivot and churn without carbon-intensive rework. Informal breakout spaces and shared amenities encourage cross-company learning, reinforcing Sustainable Ventures’ role as a convenor within the UK climate-tech ecosystem.

Sustainability is embedded at every level. More than 9,600 sq ft of materials were reused or designed for future reuse, contributing to an estimated 1,200-tonne embodied carbon saving compared with a typical London fit-out. The project also integrates experimental materials from Sustainable Ventures’ own start-up network – including mycelium insulation, recycled cork flooring and food-waste-based surfaces – turning the workspace into a live demonstration of circular innovation.

Download the full case study here.