Location
The GreenHouse will be located in Southwark, in close proximity to both Westminster and Whitehall, and with excellent transport links to Waterloo, London Bridge and several other underground stations. Southwark is within easy walking distance of the City and the West End, and is a major business centre.

Usage
The GreenHouse will be the first of its kind, a ‘one-stop shop’ with an open door – to policymakers, partners from around the world, business, the media and the public. The GreenHouse will offer affordable and flexible office space to environmental and charitable sector tenants. Prospective tenants will need to demonstrate an on-going contribution to the sector before they may be considered for rental of floorspace. Additional floorspace will be available on a flexible ‘pay-as-you-go’ basis.

Key aims of The GreenHouse are to implement new collaborative working practices, provide an education resource, and to provide the opportunity to bring in members of the public and external partners to share in the facilities that the building will provide. To achieve these aims, The GreenHouse will comprise a balanced mix of public access areas and shared non-public access areas. Office layout will be flexible and open-plan to encourage interaction, but with provision of private meeting spaces. Tenants will be encouraged to work together, whilst at the same time maintaining their individuality.

Construction
The design concept for The GreenHouse will reflect the nature of the members work. Local design ideas from around the globe may be selected to showcase sustainable building practices, where these are suited to the locality. Construction materials and finishes will, where possible, come from sustainable sources and use the minimum amount of energy in their manufacture and life-cycle. Materials should, where feasible, be recyclable, and cause minimal pollution in their decommissioning and disposal. It is also desirable to save energy in construction, and active measures will be taken to ensure that this is considered in the design process. Reclaimed materials may also be used, and highlighted in the building as an educational resource, showing what they were previously used for, and the savings made by re-using them, as opposed to disposing of them and manufacturing new building materials.

Evidently, a balance will need to be struck between showcasing a variety of innovations and traditions from around the world, and maintaining an architectural theme and staying within a realisable budget. The design should embody a clean simplicity, demonstrating that new technology and sustainable innovations can be simple to use and bring benefits with little effort.

Clearly the premises must reflect the sustainability agenda of which the members are a part, and add to its brand value by being a highly visible beacon of sustainability. The GreenHouse must aim to be carbon-neutral, while other aspects of the building should also demonstrate a commitment to reaching a state of environmental equilibrium. The building may also be used as a test-bed for new technologies. However, this should always be used only as supplementary to the core sustainable technologies in the building.