Case study: Paradise

B&K Hybrid Solutions demonstrates how DfMA and rigorous logistics planning delivered a complex scheme on a constrained London site.

B&K Hybrid Solutions

All images © B&K Hybrid Solutions

Paradise is a delivery-led demonstration of what commercial mass timber can look like under tighter fire scrutiny, but it is also a clear example of industrialised construction thinking applied to a complex London site. The six-storey scheme in Lambeth transformed a disused Costa Coffee roastery into a low-carbon workplace, using an offsite-manufactured CLT and glulam structure with exposed V-shaped feature columns as a defining architectural element.

The structural approach was shaped as much by logistics as by aesthetics. Located between the main railway line into Waterloo and a public park, the site demanded strict Network Rail compliance and a sequencing strategy designed to keep operations predictable. B&K Hybrid Solutions says the use of structural timber helped overcome the project’s logistical constraints by improving speed of construction, increasing quality control, reducing onsite alterations, and minimising disruption to the local community.

Paradise is a six-storey office building in Lambeth, London, delivered using an offsite-manufactured CLT and glulam frame with extensive exposed timber – and positioned as the UK’s largest mass timber office since tighter fire regulations came into force.

DfMA-led delivery

DfMA was central to that approach. The structural frame was fully coordinated in BIM, precision-manufactured offsite and delivered in 35 just-in-time loads, avoiding onsite storage and reducing double-handling. The erection strategy was planned in phases to suit the constrained footprint and interfaces, with digital coordination used to drive a right-first-time assembly model and remove the need for late-stage site fixes.

Paradise is a multi-award winning benchmark for low-carbon commercial delivery - precision-manufactured offsite and assembled right first time.

Maintaining visual-grade exposed timber through programme and weather conditions was treated as a practical delivery problem, not a finishing detail. B&K Hybrid Solutions sets out a quality and traceability approach that included QR-coded element tracking for QA, plus a 12-week moisture protection strategy designed to preserve exposed finishes through severe winter conditions.

Fire strategy and sustainability

Fire strategy is positioned as the defining hurdle and the differentiator. B&K Hybrid Solutions reports that the fully exposed CLT floorplates and glulam elements were engineered and installed to achieve the UK’s first 90-minute fire rating for exposed mass timber elements, exceeding standard 60-minute Eurocode guidance. This was validated through full-scale load-bearing fire testing, supported by advanced thermal-structural modelling and design refinements intended to balance fire performance with the client’s sustainability and architectural ambitions.

The sustainability case is framed in quantifiable terms and linked back to replicability. Paradise is described as achieving 413 kgCO2e/m2, with performance stated as 59% better than 2020 GLA targets and 31% better than 2030 targets, and with 1,774 tonnes of CO2 sequestered within the structure. B&K Hybrid Solutions also notes that around 80% of connections were designed for future disassembly and reuse, and that the building is expected to remain carbon negative for approximately 60 years. Beyond the single project, the supplier describes Paradise as transformative for Bywater, with a timber-first presumption now adopted on new schemes, and a clearer compliance pathway established for fully exposed mass timber in commercial buildings at scale.

Project data

Project: Paradise SE11
Location: Lambeth, London
Client: Bywater Properties
Main Contractor: Gilbert-Ash
Architect: Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
Structural Engineer: Webb Yates
Specialist Timber Subcontractor: B&K Hybrid Solutions
Sector: Commercial
Structure: Offsite-manufactured CLT and glulam structural frame with exposed V-shaped feature columns throughout, delivered as a complete structural timber and hybrid steel package
Timber quantities (stated): 2,150m³ mass timber installed (CLT and glulam)
Size (stated): 7,500m² GIA | 25m height
Targeted ratings / outcomes (stated): BREEAM Excellent; WELL Gold rating enabled; WiredScore Platinum
Completion date: 2025

Find out more about B&K Hybrid Solutions, visit www.bkstructures.co.uk/hybrid-solutions