Planning permission has been granted for a 13,000 sq m (circa 140,000 sq ft) research building for the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) at Oxfordshire’s Harwell Science and Innovation Campus.
Designed by Stride Treglown, the five-storey R131 building at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) has been designed to house engineering workshops, dry and wet laboratories, and specialist cleanrooms as well as supporting office space.
Research spaces can be fitted out for different teams and change as equipment and technical requirements evolve, extending the lifespan of the building. A shared internal ‘street’ will connect the science spaces with meeting rooms, informal workspaces, a café and places to gather.
James Horner, head of technology and innovation at Stride Treglown, said: “Bringing people into one building creates an opportunity to rethink how they work together. At R131, the shared street gives researchers places to meet, exchange ideas and see more of the work happening around them. We have also designed for change. The building needs to support today’s research while giving STFC the flexibility to accommodate new equipment, different teams and scientific uses that may not yet be known.”
