Dutch developer EDGE Technologies is making its London debut, and bringing an ethos designed to battle what it calls the global “climate change emergency”.

EDGE has bought 60 St Thomas St. on the South Bank, just behind the Shard, from Columbia Threadneedle for £50M. The existing building will be redeveloped into a new 250K SF technology-led, highly sustainable office.

The company developed the Edge office building in Amsterdam, widely regarded as the most sustainable building in the world, and one which is at the forefront of the smart building movement.

EDGE has built is own technology platform that it incorporates into all its buildings. Sensors monitor all aspects of the office environment, including occupancy and energy usage, to continuously improve and optimise operations, as well as enhance the customer experience, the company said in a statement.

EDGE is on something of an expansion push from its two existing territories of the Netherlands and Germany.

In April last year it formed a partnership with U.S. pension find TIAA to invest $1.2B in data-led sustainable offices in America.

In London, the company will work with Threadneedle to secure a revised planning consent for the scheme, which it expects to be completed in four to five years’ time. The area is a hive of development activity, with CIT, Greystar and Sellar Property also planning significant schemes nearby.

“We are expanding into new markets to address occupier demand for buildings with increasingly high sustainability standards that put employee wellbeing at the forefront,” EDGE Chief Operating Officer Boudewijn Ruitenburg said. “We believe in building better buildings that are not only inspiring workplaces, but that address the climate change emergency too.

“London is a global city that attracts business and talent from all over the world, so it is a natural choice for our next location. Our first development will bring our ethos and technology platform to the UK for the first time and we are actively looking for more sites across London to expand.”