Black & White Building, Shoreditch

ITP’s Powerlon® UV 120 has been installed to provide breathable solar protection on one of London’s most forward-thinking office developments.

Located in Shoreditch, the Black & White Building is Central London’s tallest mass timber office building, created by The Office Group (TOG) in conjunction with Waugh Thistleton Architects and Daytrip Studio. The boundary-pushing design reflects TOG’s vision for what future workspace should look like, embracing innovative construction processes and sustainable materials to significantly reduce its carbon footprint in comparison to equivalent concrete structures. With a focus on wellness, the scheme also offers a yoga studio, roof terrace and a variety of creative work environments.

The Black & White Building takes its name from the monochromatically painted, low-rise brick building that stood on the site before TOG began to redevelop it. The building has been constructed from cross laminated timber and laminated veneer lumber, two completely circular, responsibly sourced wooden building materials with impressive sustainability credentials. Using timber has locked away carbon – the carbon dioxide CO₂ that was absorbed by the trees while they were growing – for the lifespan of the building. It has trapped 945 tonnes of carbon into the structure – the equivalent carbon to a Boeing 747-400 flying for 4,059 hours.

A timber-louvre curtain wall forms the external ‘skin’ of the building, supported by the installation of ITP’s Powerlon® UV 120, a breathable membrane engineered to provide long-term protection for the building envelope in wall applications. Designed for installations behind open or closed ventilated rainscreens and facades, Powerlon® UV 120 is highly UV resistant with superior durability compared to conventional breather membranes.

ITP Account Manager, Caroline Collins, said:

“ITP are proud to supply a key element of a project which represents an outstanding example of sustainable design and construction. The development has transformed the site into a high quality, flexible and social workspace.”

Powerlon® UV 120 is one of a wide range of options available within ITP’s range of building protection systems. The company also supplies Euroclass A and B breather membranes, Euroclass A and B vapour control layers, roofing underlays, house wraps and ground barrier membranes.