A hybrid planning application to transform the former GSK headquarters at 980 Great West Road in Brentford has been approved, paving the way for a sustainability-led mixed-use redevelopment. Buro Happold supported Hadley Property Group and the wider design team through the process.
Spanning 13 acres, the scheme will deliver a new neighbourhood comprising residential, commercial, community, educational and third-sector spaces. It includes 2,300 homes, with 35% designated as affordable. The plans also aim to strengthen connections between Brentford town centre and areas north of the Great West Road, adding pedestrian- and cycle-friendly routes and improving access to the nearby park and river.
Wayne Early, Director at Buro Happold, said: “We are immensely proud to collaborate with Hadley Property Group on yet another successful planning application, and especially this project with such a distinguished team of architects, landscape designers and consultants. Our expertise in MEP, energy and sustainability, and utilities infrastructure has helped to drive the success of this transformative, sustainable and community-focused redevelopment that will benefit Brentford for years to come.”
Given the relatively young age of the site’s main ‘teardrop’ building, a full demolition and rebuild would have incurred significant embodied and operational carbon, as well as planning risks. Instead, Buro Happold set plot-specific circular economy targets. The approved proposals retain almost all of the extensive basement and include substantial retrofit across several plots.
The site’s location beside the M4 brings noise and overheating challenges. Buro Happold used a bespoke parametric design tool to balance overheating, energy demand and daylight, enabling a passive, coordinated façade strategy expected to save the client millions by reducing the need for extensive comfort cooling systems. Passivhaus analysis has also been undertaken to support future certification.
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