Project
A Cathedral
to Science
Henry Royce Institute
Manchester, UK
Supplying
Science
The new Abcam headquarters brings more than 450 staff — who supply research tools to the life sciences and clinical communities — together for the first time in an open, connected, collaborative workplace.
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An elegant feature stair, linking staggered floor plates of offices and laboratories, is designed to encourage social interaction and reflect the company’s non-hierarchical organisation and interactive culture.
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The building is organised into two distinct volumes, an office block in black and laboratory block in gold, connected by a full-height atrium.
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Distinctive gold brise soleil give the new Abcam headquarters an identity as the gateway to the new Cambridge Biomedical Campus, with views into labs that put ‘science on show’.
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The new headquarters for Abcam unites all business functions in an open, connected, collaborative workplace, to drive the efficiencies that help advance scientific research and support continued growth.
Abcam is a global leader in supplying research tools to the life sciences and clinical communities in more than 130 countries. Its new headquarters brings more than 450 staff — in laboratories, production and distribution — together on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus for the first time.
Vertical and horizontal gold brise soleil give the building a distinctive identity as a new gateway to the biomedical campus. Expansive glazing allows views out to the surrounding countryside and displays the work within to the public, putting ‘science on show’.
The interior design reflects the company’s non-hierarchical organisation and interactive culture. An elegant feature stair, linking staggered floor plates of offices and laboratories, provides opportunities for social interaction. The branding strategy uses geometric patterns for wayfinding and to bring privacy to central meeting spaces.
Hard and soft landscaping situates the building within the campus and provides outdoor amenity spaces for employees. It also encourages biodiversity with indigenous plantings, bird boxes and bioswale landscaping for onsite rainwater management.
Publications
Cambridge Independent, “Inside Abcam's new £46million headquarters on Cambridge Biomedical Campus,” March 11, 2019
Architecture Today, “Discovery Drive,” March 8, 2019
