New design blueprint for life sciences buildings
New design blueprint for life sciences buildings
’Speed to Market: Life Sciences Buildings‘ draws on expert knowledge to demystify the intricacies of building in the science sector after identifying knowledge gaps in the developer community.
London, 17 May 2023 Working with global sustainable design and engineering consultancy Ramboll, we have today released a new white paper: Speed to Market: Life Sciences Buildings , aimed at providing developers with the requirements and knowledge they need to design and construct life sciences buildings.
With the UK Government prioritising funding in the life sciences sector as part of its ambition to make the country a “Science Superpower” by 2030, the market for specialist buildings is set to grow rapidly, making now the right time for development. However, the specific requirements for these specialist buildings can make the market challenging, particularly for newcomers.
Against this background, the first-of-its-kind whitepaper sets out the key principles and priorities for design and construction of life sciences buildings to help developers avoid potentially costly errors. These include:
- Key location characteristics and types of spaces
- How to ensure flexibility and help futureproof laboratories
- Standardisation of laboratory design brief and construction methods
- Regulation to be aware of
- Learnings to be taken from other sectors
The Speed to Market: Life Sciences Buildings whitepaper helps demystify the complexity of life sciences facilities and provides key guidance for developers – drawing on our collective and extensive experience in designing and constructing science buildings, such as the University of Oxford Life and Mind Building the Quadram Institute at Norwich Research Park, and the Basingstoke Pathology Laboratory to create a helpful blueprint for developers keen to enter the market.
As an organisation which has been involved in the life sciences sector for many years, we’re keen to share the knowledge we’ve gained working on landmark projects across the country, to help more developers come into the market. We understand that it can be very daunting for potential new players to get involved, given the huge investment which can be required.
If the UK is to realise its ambition of becoming a science superpower, we need to be getting the most talented people developing the assets we’re going to need. The buildings we design now are going to be defining the future of science not just in the UK but across the world. We hope this whitepaper will go some way to bringing more talented, and creative people into our sector.”
Jamie Young
Principal Design Manager, Wates Construction
With the current focus on development within the life sciences sector, speed to market is becoming a critical factor for developers, particularly for new entrants who may not be familiar with life sciences’ requirements. However, it also provides a major market opportunity for those who are ready to tackle the challenge and this whitepaper is designed to provide a roadmap for those looking to do that.
We know that constructing science buildings can be a complex process, so our whitepaper helps simplify the life sciences sector’s language and rules, so that developers understand how to get the design and construction right, first time.”
Rebecca Mortimore
UK Science Sector Co-Lead at Ramboll and co-author
