The new West Ham bus garage for London Buses is one of the largest bus garages in Europe. This is one of three garages for TfL designed by PRS. It is also the most environmentally sustainable bus garage in the UK, considerably exceeding the Mayor's target of 20% on-site renewables generation. The building achieves the following:

• 'A' rated Energy Performance Certificate
• 33% carbon reduction over a typical benchmark industrial building through a thermally efficient building envelope, CHP systems, renewable energy generation, natural lighting and natural ventilation in office areas
• 27.5% on CO₂ reduction through renewable sources, including biomass boilers and a 100kW wind turbine
• Improvements to the site's ecology and biodiversity through green roofs, perimeter landscaping and decontamination of the brownfield site. 50% of the roof is a green roof, which together with rainwater harvesting forms part of the SUDS drainage scheme.

The bus garage project was part of the effective and sustainable relocation of the existing East London Buses Stratford and Waterden Road bus garage operations, which were vacated to release land for the implementation of the Olympic Park Development and Legacy proposals. The garage is on the former Parcelforce site at West Ham, close to the tube and overground rail stations.

Within an environment of ever increasing demand for bus services and with a continuing upwards trend in bus patronage within Greater London, the network capacity provided by the existing garages also needs to be upgraded. This garage provides a capacity of 350 buses and is operated by East London buses. It also houses the head office for the operator.

The proposal forms part of the wider regeneration programme for the formerly highly industrial area, and complements proposed residential and mixed use developments on the adjoining site.

Client: Transport for London, London Bus Services, East London Bus Group
Consultants: Engineers – Arup, Project Manager – CPC, Cost Consultant – Tillyard, Planning Consultant – Tribal MJP, Landscape Architect – Edward Hutchison Landscape Architects, Transportation Consultant – Capita Symonds, Acoustic Consultant – Halcrow, Air Quality Consultant – Faber Maunsell, Ecology Consultant – Capita Symonds, Archaeology Consultant – MoLAS, Contractor - Mansell

A website showing the realtime performance of the wind turbine: northernpower.kiosk-view.com/westhamgarage 

Photographs:
© Morley von Sternberg 2009

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Awards:

British Construction Industry Awards (Shortlisting)  (2011)
Prime Minister's Better Public Building Award (Shortlisting)  (2011)
BD Architect of the Year Award  (2011)

In the press:

TfL West Ham Bus Garage - Green: at a price
Route 1
22/07/2010

TfL West Ham Bus Garage: Top deck view: Pringle Richards Sharratt at West Ham
Architecture Today
06/2010