Situated in the northeast of the wider Barking Riverside masterplan, a joint venture between London & Quadrant and the Mayor of London, The Wilds is a multi-purpose community, ecology and event space. With community benefit embedded in every aspect of The Wilds, the building brings important new facilities to Barking Riverside and has been delivered with community partnerships to extend opportunities.

A dual-purpose facility, The Wilds houses the collection centre for the largest single vacuum waste system in Europe, by Swedish company Envac, and is a place the public can learn about the wildlife and environment of the local area. At The Wilds, the community comes together to experience free programmes, exhibitions and resources that promote making sustainable choices.

XCO2 were appointed to carry out building services design, from RIBA Stage 1 through to construction support, and energy and sustainability consultancy. The XCO2 environmental team also completed the BREEAM pre-assessment and carried out the post-construction BREEAM assessment, for which it achieved an ‘Excellent’ rating.

The Wilds won the award for Community Benefit at the RICS Awards 2022, which recognises outstanding achievement in providing a facility that directly benefits the local community.