The Black & White Building: Tallest mass timber office in central London

IStructE London Young Members Group are pleased to announce a technical talk on the Black & White Building – the tallest engineered timber office building in central London and a winner of the 2023 IStructE Structural Awards.

The talk will be delivered by Chiara Bariviera from Eckersley O’Callaghan, who will share insights into the design and engineering behind this landmark project, and discuss the challenges faced throughout its development.

Located in Shoreditch, the Black & White Building sets a new benchmark for low-carbon construction, combining innovative timber engineering with a highly sustainable design approach.

During the session, Chiara will explore key technical aspects of the project, including:

• Designing long-span LVL beams and timber connections,

• Achieving lateral stability using CLT cores,

• Buildability and construction challenges unique to timber construction,

• Environmental impact and the role of sustainable material choices,

• Meeting fire safety requirements in a 17.8m tall mass timber structure.

There will be an opportunity for a short Q&A session following the talk.

The Q&A will be followed by a networking session, during which hot drinks and nibbles will be provided.

About the speaker:

Chiara Bariviera (Eckersley O’Callaghan):

Chiara is a chartered structural engineer at Eckersley O’Callaghan with six years of experience delivering complex and sustainability-driven projects in the UK and internationally. She has worked on over 25 projects, including mass timber offices, museums, and the refurbishment of listed buildings.

A passionate advocate for low-carbon design, Chiara has contributed to industry-wide sustainability initiatives and led the development of the ECO CO2 Revit plug-in—now used by over 60 engineering firms globally. Her work earned her team the Net Zero Team of the Year at the 2022 Construction News Awards.

She played a key role in delivering The Black & White Building, the tallest mass timber office in central London, which won a 2023 IStructE Structural Award. The project set a new standard for sustainable commercial buildings through its innovative use of CLT and LVL, and its flexible, partition-free design.

Chiara is currently pursuing a master’s in the structural analysis of historic buildings and heritage conservation, with a focus on seismic retrofitting and structural health monitoring.

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Cover Photo Copyright: Eckersley O’Callaghan

This is a ticketed event with limited spaces. If your plans change, please let us know on [email protected] to free your ticket or cancel directly on Eventbrite.