Oxford 'Science Cities' report part three

Image: ARC Building, Glasgow University - courtesy of HOK

In the third part of Future Cities Forum's 'Science Cities' report we profile the contributions and projects of four leading architects - HOK, Pilbrow and Partners, Scott Brownrigg, Sheppard Robson and also cost management company Gardiner & Theobald. All contributed to our discussion event held at Jesus College, Oxford.

Questions were put about the resilience of UK science parks within the cross-winds of a turbulent economy, the necessity of speed when delivering development to prevent successful spin-out companies from going abroad, developing essential links to education in the democratising of science for young people, the importance of being a 'good neighbour' as a science park, and how to draw 'hostile communities' onside to support new science developments.

Gary Clark first answered a question about resilience:

'I see what's happening in the US and I compare what is happening in the UK in terms of science development. I am very positive about what is happening here in the UK. However there remains the question in how we get things done. It's about joining up that last piece of the jigsaw in terms of wider government and developers, but the clear idea is there.

'It is still not enough to stop spin outs going abroad as they scale-up. You have great brands in Oxford but those in Glasgow don't quite stack up. It is still taking too long from planning to building - sometimes four years. Things have changed in Cambridge because Gove got wind of the possibilities. Sadly the ambition in Glasgow is still to sell to America.

'The main message is that if we do not build fast enough, spin outs will go elsewhere.'

Despite the concerns over the length of time that planning takes, HOK has finished and delivered its impressive design and building of the University of Glasgow Advanced Research Centre (image above) It states:

'The high-tech Advanced Research Centre (ARC) building houses 500 multidisciplinary researchers and serves as a centrepiece of the University’s new campus development in Glasgow, Scotland.

'This is the first time the University has attempted to co-locate such a diverse mix of interdisciplinary researchers in one building. Researchers come from all four of the University’s colleges: Social Sciences, Arts, Science and Engineering, and Medical/Veterinary and Life Sciences. The plan allows for maximum flexibility and transparency between these disciplines.

'HOK’s design expresses the research activities taking place inside the ARC while drawing inspiration from the University’s existing campus and masterplan and Glasgow’s historic buildings.

'The ARC forms the west side of a new square within the expanded campus. A public route moves through the building at the entry level, connecting the new University square to the West End community. This permeable streetscape displays the internal activities of the ARC to the outside world, supporting the University’s intention to be transparent in its community.

In addition to flexible wet and dry lab spaces, the design provides a mixture of event, social, structured and informal meeting areas that are flexible to change along with the University’s future needs.

'A large, daylight-filled central atrium includes a café and multipurpose engagement space. It includes exhibition spaces to display research, a custom-built space for immersive technologies (VR/AR) and seminar spaces.

'These shared facilities enhance opportunities for collaboration, interaction and communication intended to spark imagination and lead to new discoveries.'

Image: CGI from Scott Brownrigg's masterplan for Wootton Science Park, Oxfordshire, courtesy of Scott Brownrigg

Young spin out companies need to be encouraged to stay in the UK but need the facilities to expand and many developers are building flexible spaces for them to do just that. However, there needs to be more young minds coming into the science arena through STEM courses. Young women are being particularly encouraged to even up the male bias. So it is vital that partnerships are created with local schools in areas of science development.

Fiona Grieve. is an advocate for equity and social justice within Scott Browning. She is concerned that young people see a future for working in science and that the work around new science park developments provides good links for them. She explained:

'Education is a massive thing. At Eastpoint we are working with our Oxford academy neighbours. We realised with our science park that there was a school next door and while schools have their own issues to be getting on with, we realise that there was something we could contribute to there. We asked ourselves - how can we create this relationship to offer something positive?

'We speak a lot about the economy and jobs but how are we inspiring the next generation, the children of the future. We have done a lot of work on this with the Oxford Trust. Connections with schools are not easy but we can try hard to break those boundaries down. Anyone should be able to see science as their future. It is all about democratising science.'

Scott Brownrigg is well versed in creating innovative and beautifully designed new science buildings. Oxford City Council has approved plans for three new buildings on The Oxford Science Park (TOSP), totalling over 400K sq ft. Designed by Scott Brownrigg, each building will provide headquarters – office and laboratory facilities – for leading science and technology companies. The Oxford Science Park is majority owned by Magdalen College, Oxford, and is at the heart of its strategy to support discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship.

The practice is also working on new designs for Wootton Science Park (image above) to the south-west of Oxford, where a planning application has been submitted to the Vale of White Horse District Council by Hartwell Plc. The £35 million masterplan includes circa 106,233 sq ft (9,869 sq m) of new commercial laboratory space across five buildings, including greenspace, secure bike storage, restaurant and gym facilities. Hartwell has owned the park since 1975 and built the first office building in 2005. It has recently practically completed Origin, a two-storey CL2 laboratory building.

One Portal Way, Acton, courtesy of Pilbrow & Partners

Fred Pilbrow, Partner of Pilbrow & Partners joined the conversation to take the debate further on how to become a 'good neighbour' when designing new science buildings as well as integrating them to create 'a really interesting piece of city':

'I think we are all aware of the potential flight of intellectual capital. A lot of our work is in the urban environment for instance with Imperial College. But at Hartree, Cambridge, we ask ourselves can life science buildings be good neighbours in the community?

'So far our interactions with the Cambridge planners have been positive but we are dealing with large plate buildings. Yes they are efficient and have a long life with lots of flexibility, but they are large and we want to integrate into the community and draw people in.

'Our work at the Francis Crick certainly gave community access and that was a welcome part of the solution to sitting well in the community. At Hartree we are looking to embed community facilities too. Also we think it is important to intersperse smaller research and office buildings, with raised floors and wireless throughout.

'The fruit of all of this is that we can create a really interesting piece of city. But are we learning enough from Oxford and Cambridge? When we are dealing with very large science spaces - is it all still too baggy?'

Imperial College London commissioned Pilbrow & Partners to prepare regeneration proposals for One Portal Way, North Acton (image above). The site is strategic. It is the largest and most central development site in an area that has been subject to significant investment and yet lacks a well-defined town centre.

Pilbrow & Partners' proposals establish this centre through the creation of a major new public park. Three tall buildings at the apexes of the triangular site mark points of new public permeability.

The proposals deliver a balance of residential and work space, leveraging Imperial College London's knowledge and contacts to draw innovative technology and life science businesses to North Acton.

Above: UCLH specialist facility for ear, nose and throat medicine - Huntley Street, Bloomsbury, London (Courtesy Pilbrow and Partners)

Pilbrow & Partners also has extensive experience working with clinical and research organisations including Imperial College Healthcare Trust (St Mary’s Paddington), Moorfields Healthcare Trust, Imperial College London and University College London Hospital Trust.

For UCLH the practice designed a new specialist facility for ear, nose and throat medicine: Phase 5. The site on Huntley Street is set at the heart of the Bloomsbury Conservation Area adjacent to listed residential neighbours.

The firm states:

'The newly completed award-winning hospital increases operational efficiency, reduces energy consumption and puts the patient experience at the heart of the design.

'Traditionally, such buildings are planned with clinical spaces at the facade and waiting areas at the core. Phase 5, by contrast, inverts this organisation with waiting areas on the street facade set in a range of bay windows. The form and detail of these bays offer a contemporary reinterpretation of the bays of the adjacent 19th century mansion blocks.

'Vertical circulation is arranged on the northern apex of the site. The architectural language of perforated brick screens is reinterpreted to provide shading to more generously scaled communal waiting areas.

'The elements of the core – lifts, stairs and risers are each reflected in the external massing creating an articulated silhouette that serves to denote the hospital’s entrance for patients approaching from the north and west. The building’s structure and services are expressed to provide a robust backdrop to the rich variety of spaces within the building.'

Pilbrow & Partners worked closely with LB Camden on the development of the design within the Bloomsbury Conservation Area:

'We successfully made the case for the replacement of the former Royal Ear Hospital which was a locally listed building on the site. The quality of the new building – and in particular its prioritisation of the patient experience – were acknowledged as a critical factor in securing this consent.'

Image: Mix Manchester masterplan, courtesy of Sheppard Robson

The conversation turned to the important topic of retrofit with climate change in mind but also the changing nature of some science developments that might provide logistics space with the changing needs of the economy in mind. Eugene Sayers, Partner, Sheppard Robson explained:

'We carry out lots of retrofit for universities and is often the backbone of our lab work. In a lot of cases it is responsible to do so but it is not always the right answer. It does make sense a lot of the time as older buildings can be more robust as budgets were not so constrained in past times and the buildings are easier to fit things into.

'However, we are now going through a new industrial revolution and seeing buildings grow in size for their purpose. Science buildings are now often very large and are being built under a new typology. We do not want to create a new Shenzhen but improve on some of what's going on in the US.

With out of town science parks we are having to come up with real reasons for a would-be tenant to go to them, such as a shop or other facilities. At our new proposed development MIX Manchester, this is the opposite. There is no hospital or university on site as a draw and it has been a chance to re-think with the growth of the science and tech economy, a reason to review our ideas. Who might come to a place like that? it might be companies that want a footprint in the UK, a place to manufacture. It doesn't have to be their headquarters, it might be just their logistics place. There are developments now with the way that the economy is going, where you don't always need scientists.'

The MIX Manchester Masterplan envisions a new science, manufacturing, and innovation campus for South Manchester.

The 24-hectare masterplan will accommodate a range of tenants, from small-scale research & development companies to large-scale advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing and mid-tech occupiers. The flexible framework - with a long-life, loose-fit approach - provides a scaled expansion to meet the changing needs of individual tenants and the evolving demands of the advanced materials, life sciences, digital and technology economies.

The masterplan focuses on a series of neighbourhood blocks and a centralised pedestrianised town square, providing clusters of activity at a local level, allowing the site to develop sequentially over several phases. By integrating hotels, shared amenities and F&B/leisure facilities into these neighbourhoods, we have created active frontages and vibrant, people-focused spaces that encourage community and foster a sense of identity for tenants.

The MIX Manchester Masterplan envisions a new science, manufacturing, and innovation campus for South Manchester.

The 24-hectare masterplan will accommodate a range of tenants, from small-scale research & development companies to large-scale advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing and mid-tech occupiers. The flexible framework - with a long-life, loose-fit approach - provides a scaled expansion to meet the changing needs of individual tenants and the evolving demands of the advanced materials, life sciences, digital and technology economies.

The masterplan focuses on a series of neighbourhood blocks and a centralised pedestrianised town square, providing clusters of activity at a local level, allowing the site to develop sequentially over several phases. By integrating hotels, shared amenities and F&B/leisure facilities into these neighbourhoods, we have created active frontages and vibrant, people-focused spaces that encourage community and foster a sense of identity for tenants.

Creating the right mix of science and housing was a concluding theme in the discussion taken up by Charles Thomas-Davies, Partner at Gardiner & Theobald:

'Kings Cross is a good example bringing together the themes that have been talked about today. 0riginally the local community didn't want it to happen. It was concerned about gentrification. But the really good news is that today there is a properly integrated community and locals are now very proud to live there.

'I think the story of land ownership is an interesting one and especially if you look at the history of Oxford with lots of colleges owning most of the land. You need other landowners playing their part in the development of cities. We are in a hostile environment at the moment with the planning system and the much needed housing mix. Then there is the Building Safety Act coming along with creates another factor. On sustainability there is the future homes standard to consider which is creating uncertainty.

'We have a real problem with the time is takes from concept of housing development to being occupied by people who really need these homes. I have worked on Templars Square in Cowley, Oxford and -speed has been of the essence. How can we reduce our time frames responsibility, knowing that makes our cities attractive.'

Above: aerial view of the Camlife development in Cambridge (Courtesy Longfellow Real Estate Partners / Wolf Media USA)

Gardiner & Theobald has been developing an important laboratory site - Camlife in Cambridge. It states:

'The 42-acre parkland campus will provide adaptable, best-in-class, fitted lab space across three buildings alongside curated amenities and expansive green space. Delivery of the lab space will be delivered in phases with Cam3 building coming online first, followed by Cam1 and Cam2 shortly thereafter.

'The spaces have been designed to promote wellbeing and productivity while sustainable transport solutions include EV charging points, enhanced cycle parking and end-of-journey facilities being delivered as part of the works.

'Longfellow’s commitment to sustainable development underpins the environmental ethos of both the campus and its community, with the first phase targeting BREEAM ‘Excellent’ and EPC A. The adaptive re-use design approach has led to a 40% whole-life embodied carbon reduction relative to a new build net-zero equivalent.'

Future Cities Forum would like to thank all our contributors for their knowledge and expertise that they brought to the debate at 'Science Cities' Oxford.