K:Port® is a proven smart city solution, designed to inspire and enable the sustainable electrification of transport.

A low-carbon, multi-modal transport hub, K:Port® has been created by award winning architects Hewitt Studios LLP to democratise e-mobility and inspire behavioural change within local communities.

Our solution enables deployment in prominent and sensitive locations, with minimal environmental impact and a secure & flexible long-term legacy.

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Shadows and light shining through photovoltaic panels onto the K:Port timber lattice structure.
Client: North Somerset Council - Portishead Marina

Photosynthetic architecture

Our concept for K:Port® derives from the Japanese notion of “Komorebi”; the dappled light which occurs when sunlight shines through the leaves of a tree.

The essence of the tree is apparent throughout K:Port®, from the form of the canopy itself and the timbers which make up its structure, to the collection and use of rainwater and sunlight via the solar PV surface.

Detail of the chains used to facilitate rain water drainage from the roof panels
Client: Transport for London - Woolwich, London

Sustainability at its core

K:Port® is resource efficient, with a carbon-sequestering, responsibly sourced timber structure and options for rainwater harvesting, sustainable drainage and net-gain biodiversity.

It is energy efficient, with integrated energy generation from the solar PV canopy and can be upgraded with battery storage and smart charging.

K:Port shown at night with LED strip lighting providing a safe environment
Client: Transport for London - Woolwich, London

Easy, enjoyable and safe to use

K:Port® provides sheltered charging for EVs, e-bikes and e-scooters, keeping equipment dry and cool. Spaces are fully accessible and charge points are impact protected.

This high-quality environment can be made available 24/7 via the incorporation of integrated LED lighting, CCTV, motion sensing and EV bay detection.

A man demonstrates K:Port in use by charging a Tesla electric car under the canopy
Client: Transport for London - Woolwich, London

Smart City enabled

K:Port can provide greater energy resilience and autonomy through its ability to generate, store, trade and moderate renewable power. Interaction with electric vehicles is possible through V2G.

The result is a significant reduction in energy costs and carbon footprint for the K:Port® operator, as well as the virtual elimination of any energy downtime.

Arial view of a single K:port 'tree' structure in the centre of a ringed road
Client: North Somerset Council - Portishead Marina

K:Port® is capable of rapid implementation, with an established supply chain ready to deliver modular, prefabricated components on site to be constructed in just 3 weeks.

Hewitt Studios LLP have a developed kit of parts available to fit any site, with significant economies of scale to be achieved for large role outs.

K:Port® is cheap and easy to maintain and at the end of its life, the timber frame has been designed to be re-locatable and re-usable, and ultimately utilised as biomass fuel, ensuring a long-term sustainable legacy.

Rendered graphic of a K:Port concept hub including community spaces
Concept image

K:Port® has been developed by Hewitt Studios LLP - an innovative multi-disciplinary studio specialising in extraordinary, sustainable environments which inspire change.

Hewitt Studios LLP have determinedly pursued an accessible and design-led approach to sustainable architecture, placing environmental technologies fundamentally at the heart of each of our projects. Our work has been internationally recognised and we were named the UK’s “Sustainable Architect of the Year” in 2014 for our pioneering work across the sector.

K:Port® is underpinned by a full range of urban design and architectural consultancy services offered by Hewitt Studios LLP. These include business planning, research and feasibility studies, site selection, building control, public consultation, regulatory approvals, passivhaus certified design, project management and procurement.

Visit the Hewitt Studios LLP website to learn more about our practice
A miniature scaled development model of K:Port with a toy car.
Development model

Working with:

  • Business West
  • ESB Energy
  • Go Ultra Low
  • Innovate UK
  • Loughborough University
  • North East Combined Authority
  • Plymouth City Council
  • SETsquared Bath
  • Siemens
  • Transport for London
  • University of Bath
  • Vectos
  • West of England Combined Authority
  • Coventry City Council
  • QI Managed Services
  • cenex
  • North Somerset Council
  • Office for Zero Emission Vehicles