A highly innovative and sustainable 600,000sqft life sciences community environment with an agile structural chassis that enables life cycle changes between lab, plant and office space on all levels and across all blocks
Project Details
Collective Team
The concept aims to deliver a building which answers the specific functions set out in the brief, yet which provides a flexible framework for the building to evolve over time and adapt to the changing needs for successful and collaborative research, science and business.
Diagrammatically this amalgamates a range of flexible lab blocks which can be brought together within a single enclosure to create a community of science organisations.
The overall structure is to be simple, repetitive and efficient with high flexibility to support a variety of block sizes.
The Lab blocks are considered as an agile set of volumes across the floors that enable a variety of locations for the activities and connected with central walkways on the upper levels.
At ground floor level a central connecting space provides amenity spaces and direct links to the surrounding landscaped gardens.
High pathogen programme and facade diagram
Exploratory facades
Agile lab-enabled diagrid structure
Services are located on the lower Heavy Floor, roof level and intermediary floors and are routed vertically by risers at the ends of all blocks providing full flexibility for any strategic layouts and future changes.
Hybrid concrete and timber diagrid frame
Floor levels change from a solid slab to a perforate one on alternate levels enabling labs to be below or above their localised plant rooms. This allows the use of timber to reduce the carbon footprint.
The envelope acts to protect, insulate, filter, ventilate and harvest energy. It also enables views in and out. The design will be blended with the structural frame and internal activities.
Primary fixed floors and modular adaptable inter-floors
Interchangeable volumes / hybrid structure
