Planning granted for Brent Cross Town Main Energy Centre
Led by Bell Phillips, the 3,000m² all-electric facility that will supply low-carbon heating and cooling to 6,700 new homes and workspace for over 25,000 people.
Visuals
Bell Phillips
Led by Bell Phillips, the 3,000m² all-electric facility that will supply low-carbon heating and cooling to 6,700 new homes and workspace for over 25,000 people.
Visuals
Bell Phillips
This key piece of infrastructure will be among the largest of its kind in Europe and marks a significant step towards Brent Cross Town’s Net Zero Carbon ambitions. The project will be delivered by Related Argent and Barnet Council, in partnership with Vattenfall.
The building’s angular, inverted ziggurat form maximises the space available for the rooftop fans, while also contrasting with IF_DO’s substation adjacent to create a striking silhouette against the North London skyline. A distinctive floating fan deck appears as a ‘flying carpet’, inspired by Mies van der Rohe’s Neue Nationalgalerie and conceived as a celebration of the technology within. The lightweight, permeable structure transitions from a solid concrete base to reflective aluminium and shifting perforate textured metal, optimising airflow to the fans while remaining demountable for future adaptability.
Internally, plant rooms shape the footprint, with integrated spaces for staff and visitors including a workshop and viewing areas to support educational visits. At its core are high-performance air and water source heat pumps, electric boilers, and extensive thermal storage, supported by a network of underground pipes that enables energy to be delivered efficiently and at scale with minimal environmental impact.
We are proud to have provided structural and civil engineering design for this critical infrastructure that will meet the needs of future generations of Londoners.
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Melissa has received a commendation from the regional group in the Rising Star category of their annual awards.
The design took home Refurb Project (>£10m) at the AJ Architecture Awards earlier this week, and has also been named Design of the Year.
Also known as the Manser Medal, the judges for the prestigious prize described the home as ‘super-zen’, ‘well-resolved’, and ‘beautifully framed’.
The project has been awarded the prize in the ‘Structural’ category, and highly commended in the ‘Commercial & Leisure’ category.