Arup on science campuses at Lambeth Palace Library

Above: aerial view of the Francis Crick Institute, by St Pancras Station with the British Library behind (Arup)

Future Cities Forum is delighted that Angela Crowther, Director at Arup, is joining our 'Arts and Sciences Districts' forum at Lambeth Palace Library in London this week. Angela is currently working on both the British Library St Pancras and the Royal Street life sciences developments. She is Arup's London property Business Leader, an expert in sustainability, and is passionate about creating a regenerative and equitable future. She has cross-industry experience, including engineering, architecture and construction.

Angela joins other science and cultural leaders from Lambeth Palace Library, ARC Group (Harwell), Imperial Healthcare NHS Trust, Deloitte, and HOK -as well as developers Yoo Capital and Battersea Power Station Development Company.

Arup is extensively involved in the design of science and innovation spaces internationally, and has written about its work on the design and construction of London's Francis Crick Institute at St Pancras:

'Breakthrough medical advances are being made every day, and scientists in London’s Francis Crick Institute are busy digging deep into the workings of the human body to bring them to the public as quickly as possible. Our role was to design them a flexible, modular home that can be adapted to the future needs of science research. The ambition was to create a world-leading centre of biomedical research and innovation in the heart of London. Named the Francis Crick Institute in honour of the great British scientist who discovered the DNA double helix structure, the centre needed to possess the same qualities that its namesake did: hard-working, visionary and innovative.

'Speed is of the essence when you’re planning an 85,000m2 building in central London. Before construction on the shell of the building started in June 2011, we developed a procurement route that shortened the time on site by identifying and evaluating the client’s critical success factors against the design

'Science and research are key to addressing humanity’s biggest challenges, now and in the future. Creating the right spaces and environments for research to thrive is essential.

'The scientific research ecosystem goes far beyond the physical spaces of laboratories. Among many things, it encompasses the people making research possible, the places where scientific discoveries happen, and the infrastructure required to sustain innovation. Only by recognising the extent of this ecosystem can we begin to understand the complex interactions between its people, spaces and contexts, and how the spaces we create can respond meaningfully to these diverse requirements and desires.'