The UK’s largest timber‑framed office building will be built by McLaren Construction, which this week was appointed principal contractor for delivering Xylo, a 9,290‑square‑metre office in Clerkenwell. Wood Central understands that the new building, designed by Piercy & Company, is positioned as a new reference point for low‑carbon workplace delivery in central London, with its façade and windows reflecting the structural grid of the building’s interior layout.
Supporting Piercy & Company are Avison Young as project manager, Max Fordham as services and sustainability engineers, and Heyne Tillett Steel as structural and civil engineers. Hybrid Structures, part of the William Hare Group, will supply glulam beams and cross‑laminated timber components expected to store more than 2,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Xylo’s design centres on a vaulted lobby rising 6.5 metres and nine floors of workspace finished with natural materials and low‑VOC products. The development will feature a town hall space, rooftop garden, landscaped terraces and a café. Its timber‑first structure allows internal areas to be reconfigured without major intervention, supporting a wider mix of workplace uses.
Global Holdings said the building is targeting LETI Pioneer, NABERS UK 5.5‑star and BREEAM Excellent ratings. Operational carbon emissions are projected to fall by up to 82 per cent, while embodied carbon is expected to be 50 per cent lower than a typical new London office. According to Josh Lawrence, chief executive of Global Holdings Management Group UK, Xylo responds directly to demand for workplaces built around sustainability and detailed design in central London.
“We are delighted to be working with McLaren to deliver Xylo. It is a significant project for our industry, bringing together advanced environmental design with a building intended to serve organisations that lead in their sectors,” he said. “The full timber frame and high‑performance systems will support one of London’s most sustainable new workplaces.”
Meanwhile, Darren Gill, managing director for London and South at McLaren Construction, emphasised the role of timber and offsite methods in managing programme certainty. “This is a pioneering use of structural timber and offsite manufacturing on a typically constrained central London site,” he said. “Digital information management allows us to monitor carbon as the project progresses, ensuring the development meets its environmental targets.”
Piercy & Company’s design draws on Clerkenwell’s Edwardian and Victorian heritage, with a deeply modelled façade that balances solar shading and material expression. The varied moulding depths respond to orientation, reducing heat gain and improving interior comfort without heavy reliance on mechanical systems. A second structure at 88 Gray’s Inn Road is being refurbished to provide workspace and affordable apartments, linking the development to the adjoining streets and courtyards of Clerkenwell and Bloomsbury.
- To learn more about the UK market and why 30% of the country’s top builders are now installing timber-frame factories, click here for Wood Central’s special coverage.
