The transformation of 30 Duke Street, a £75m office development led by Great Portland Estates (GPE) with main contractor Mace, is setting new benchmarks in the recovery and re-use of end-of-life building materials.
The project involves replacing two existing buildings on the city centre site, dating from the 1950s and 1960s, with an eight-storey scheme designed by Make Architects.
The project underscores a commitment to the circular economy made possible by the Glass Forever programme facilitated by Saint-Gobain Glass. Glass Forever is a hands-on initiative that retrieves end-of-life glass from the demolished buildings to be re-manufactured into new, high-performance flat glass, which will be installed in the new development.
The programme ensures that recovered glass is not downcycled or sent to landfill, but is instead reintroduced into the production of high-quality glazing solutions. Materials stewardship such as this is vital to the success of the 30 Duke Street redevelopment as a sustainable, closed-loop project.
Having worked together previously on the Minerva House project, GPE and Saint-Gobain Glass are committed to recycling post-consumer glass and installing new products utilising high levels of recycled glass, such as Saint-Gobain’s ORAÉ®, the world’s first lower carbon glass.
Façade contractor, OAG, working at 30 Duke Street with main contractor Mace, will use COOL-LITE SKN 183 (II) ORAÉ®, a next generation solar control glass that combats overheating whilst enhancing the overall energy performance of a building. Glazing made with ORAÉ® delivers a carbon saving of 42% compared to standard float glass, due to its high recycled glass content.
ORAÉ® is manufactured in the UK thanks to the Glass Forever programme, which utilises the supply chain to recover and recycle the necessary amount of old glass that is required for its remanufacture into this lower carbon product.
With sustainability at its core, the 30 Duke Street project demonstrates how industry leaders can drive change by prioritising material recovery and high-recycled-content solutions. By collaborating with the supply chain and investing in the Glass Forever programme alongside innovative lower carbon products like ORAÉ®, Saint-Gobain Glass and its partners are working to increase the sustainability of building materials.
