County Hall – a landmark building in London facing The House of Parliament has recently been refurbished setting a new standard for low-carbon design and adaptive reuse. The former headquarters of London County Council (LCC) is now occupied by multiple businesses and attractions as well as being the dynamic HQ for Sustainable Ventures – a hub for emerging climate tech businesses.

Designed by Material Works Architecture, the interior space has been thoughtfully reconfigured to promote collaboration and growth, whilst saving over 1,150 tonnes of embodied carbon compared to a conventional office fit-out.

The 3,600 sqm retrofit project organised by Material Works Architecture sets new standards for low-carbon design and adaptive reuse.

Dickon Hayward, Director at Material Works Architecture explained “At County Hall, we delivered 40,000 sq ft of workspace, taking a half-ruined shell to full Cat-B for less than £95/sq ft – including extensive fabric repairs and all-new services.”

“We achieved this by thinking strategically, challenging assumptions and analysing every decision in terms of both carbon and cost. Crucially, this didn’t mean a loss in quality. The scheme has proved hugely popular, been praised in the press for its low carbon, sustainable approach and won numerous awards including the NLA Best Workspace 2025.”

“By adopting a custodian mindset – preserving and celebrating what exists, considering whole life cycles – we can protect both the planet and project budgets. That’s not a constraint, it’s an opportunity.”

Corkform flooring supplied by Quadrant. Photo credit: Material Works and Fred Howarth photography

‘Corkform’ is a unique range of carbon-negative commercial flooring was selected by the architects at County Hall for its suitability for heavy commercial use. Featuring an innovative click-link design ‘Corkform’ is a carbon negative alternative to timber, laminate and LVT floors with the unique beauty of cork.

Made predominantly of material recycled from the stopper manufacturing industry, it has all of cork’s benefits: great acoustics, walking comfort and thermal insulation. It’s also exceptionally durable.

Respect for nature and wellbeing are among its many core values: when the carbon sequestered by the cork oak forest is considered, Corkform has a carbon balance of a remarkable minus 101kg CO2 eq/m2.

Corkform floor covering contains no PVC and meets the strictest international indoor air quality standards. Featuring a robust 2G locking system, it is suitable for heavy commercial use and can be installed as a floating floor, or permanently glued down.

Client
Sustainable Ventures:  https://www.instagram.com/sustainableventures/

Architect
Material Works Architecture London E8: https://material-works.com

Flooring contractor
Paramount Flooring: https://paramountflooring.co.uk/

Flooring supplied by
Quadrant: https://quadmod.com/products/cork/band-spice/

Product
Corkform Band Spice 175sqm from Quadrant 

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