Trinity EC3
Beetham's Trinity EC3 project exemplifies
two trends in the current London development
scene: the focus on architecture of exceptional
quality and the willingness of developers to
engage with the public sector to improve the
capital's infrastructure and public domain and
play a major role in the regeneration process.
The scheme by critically acclaimed practice
Foreign Office Architects – selected from a
distinguished shortlist – for the site close to
Aldgate Underground station, on the eastern
fringe of the City, forms a dynamic new link
between the City and the East End. It is
innovative in terms of both its sculptural form
and its use of low-energy glazing technology.
A luminous glazed galleria connects the
three office buildings and incorporates
shops and restaurants at ground level. There
is also a rooftop garden open to all. Radical
improvements to the Aldgate public transport
hub – a new bus station and a new entrance
to the Underground station, which will become
fully accessible – are fundamental to the project.
The environmental credentials of the scheme,
which replaces a group of nondescript postwar
buildings, are exemplary, with carbon
emissions 28% below GLA benchmarks.
