Botanic Place comprises two new office buildings: 1 Botanic Place (175,000 sq ft) and 2 Botanic Place (150,000 sq ft), the retained landmark Botanic House and the refurbished Flying Pig public house, all set within new public spaces and extensive landscaped gardens in the heart of Cambridge.

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Pace’s vision was to create the most sustainable office development in Cambridge (BREEAM Outstanding) and a global-standard headquarters office for companies predominantly in the AI, tech, and innovation sectors seeking a significant presence in the UK’s Golden Triangle.

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The record-breaking score of 100% was made possible through a suite of pioneering environmental features integrated via intelligent design.

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Pace commenced the designs in 2017 and championed market-leading thinking and innovation by members of the wider design team. Many of the innovations also respond to specific local contextual factors, such as the well-documented pressures on water supply in Cambridge.

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Examples of innovation used include:

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• Night purge ventilation mode, using “free cooling” at night to reduce the energy demand for cooling by approximately 70%.

• The latest generation of reversible air source heat pumps, enabling the transfer of heat rather than energy-intensive heat generation.

• Advanced façade design that responds to the changing sun angles to minimise solar heat gain whilst ensuring optimum levels of natural light for occupiers.

• Intelligent building systems that optimise lighting, cooling and ventilation where they are needed.

• Grey water recycling and rainwater harvesting, where the water can then be used to flush toilets to minimise water consumption.

• Cycle Heart Rated Platinum End of Journey facilities reflecting both the quantity and quality of cycle parking, showers and changing facilities to encourage active travel.

• Materials passports to ensure all building materials are responsibly sourced and to reliably track embodied carbon.

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Johnny Vincent of Pace Investments commented:

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"I am immensely proud that this project has achieved a BREEAM score of 100% ( a world first ) ,  making this the highest BREEAM scoring office development in the world. We started to assemble the site over 20 years ago, and bought together 6 separate freehold parcels to create this extraordinary scheme.

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Pace completed the award winning  Botanic House in 2013 ( at the northern edge of the site )  , and then in 2017, set out to create the most sustainable office scheme in Cambridge , perhaps the UK. I never imagined we would create the most sustainable office buildings in the world.

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It has been a huge team effort , and my thanks go to everyone involved , but especially to Simon Allford and Thomas Gardner at AHMM, to the team at Hoare Lea, and to Railpen and Socius for believing in and maintaining our vision."

 

Dan Asquith, BREEAM Business Development Team Leader at BRE, said:

 

“BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ represents the top 1% of UK non-domestic buildings, but Botanic Place has created a category of its own. By integrating pioneering technologies, from the night purge ventilation mode to the dynamic façade design, this project has pushed the boundaries of our assessment criteria. A score of 100.54% is a testament to a rigorous, holistic approach to sustainability that balances carbon reduction with biodiversity and occupant wellbeing. We are delighted to see such a high level of technical excellence being delivered in the heart of Cambridge.”
 

Located adjacent to the Cambridge University Botanic Garden and minutes from Cambridge station, Botanic Place will offer private and common roof terraces of 40,000 sq ft providing outstanding 360 degree views of the city, including Botanic Garden from multiple levels, as well as market-defining public spaces, landscaped gardens, internal amenities, events spaces, and food and beverage areas. These will be complemented by 1,300 cycling spaces and exceptional end-of-journey facilities.

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Botanic Place is currently on site and is due for completion in Q1 2028.