Life Sciences
Portfolio
As architects, landscape architects and urban designers, we create award winning buildings, living landscapes and thriving urban spaces, using inventive design to solve real life challenges. Each of our projects is different but the driving force behind every one is the desire to create something that is inherently beautiful, sustainable and useful.
The practice’s Life Science experience stems from our work over the last 20 years, in the higher education sector for UCL. This has involved the design of teaching, laboratory, social, workplace and support spaces, as well as auditoria. Our expertise incorporates both new and existing buildings, mainly on constrained urban sites.
We are including a selection of our life sciences work within this brochure, but supplementing it with other relevant work in the higher education and health sectors, that we believe demonstrates the breadth of the practice’s experience.
From our studios in London and Manchester, our urban designers and landscape architects enable us to look holistically at all projects, providing the expertise to deal with both the macro and micro scale.
Life sciences buildings
SLMS Masterplan
Camden, London
University College London
Masterplan
This commission involved producing masterplan for the phased refurbishment extension and remodelling of UCL’s Anatomy building together with the adjacent Medical Sciences Building and the Department of Biosciences for the School of Life and Medical Sciences (SLMS).The masterplan sets out phased refurbishment projects for labs research and support facilities and proposals for a substantial new build extension together with the landscaping of the important central campus South Quadrangle, on UCL’s Bloomsbury campus which sits within the local Conservation Area. We also looked at a wider strategy for additional academic research space in buildings nearby to provide for more immediate expansion.
Refurbishment phases
The refurbishment projects were built out over 7 phases with a value of £6.5m (2014). Facilities included a new Social Learning Space for MSC students, a new fish research facility including tank room and procedure room, administration and support offices and a Bioscience teaching laboratory for 100 within Biosciences. Other spaces comprised a new Category 2 Lab; reporting rooms; a microscopy suite together; academic offices and a meeting rooms.
New build addition
The new extension, designed to RIBA Stage 2 as part of the SLMS masterplan is a substantial new building that is fully integrated into the UCL South Quadrangle. The proposals create a strong east-west route from Gower Street to the South Quadrangle via a new atrium space. The new accommodation includes a student hub; seminar space; faculty administration offices and new Category 2 wet laboratories. A key strategy was to improve accessibility throughout with a new stair and lift core in the atrium connecting into the existing Anatomy Building. The construction value was £25m.
Architecturally the building is conceived as a freestanding masonry block connected to the existing Medical Sciences Building via a glazed atrium. High quality brick with deepset openings creates a strong material presence, and the elevational treatment seeks to mediate between two imposing historic façades (the Medical Science Building and the South Wing – Grade I listed) as well as help to redefine the important public realm of the South Courtyard.
Kathleen Lonsdale Building (GMP Project), UCL
Camden, London
University College London
The new state of the art Radiochemistry Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility is located within the Grade II listed Kathleen Lonsdale Building, which houses the Earth Sciences Department and accommodates other distinct parts of the wider MAPS Faculty, including Astro Physics and Radio Chemistry. The new facility has been created for preparing radioactive “contrast” for cancer diagnosis and includes clean rooms, hot cells etc. for the production of Radioactive contrast for metabolic research implemented at the nearby new UCLH Hyperpolarisor facility. The strategic aim of the project was to provide a state of the art facility which catered for the exact needs of its specialist users within a confined area of the building. We led a design team who worked closely with UCL Estates and the stakeholders to develop their brief within the constraints of the retained heritage assets of the existing building and prepare detailed design, planning and tender information.
Charles Bell House, UCL
Westminster, London
University College London
Located in the East Marylebone Conservation Area, Charles Bell House consisted of undertaking a capacity and spatial coordination study for UCL up to RIBA Workstage 3.
The scope was to undertake a phased refurbishment to the existing 5 storey building to provide new, high quality academic, laboratory and research facilities for the Department of Surgery and for Mental Health Sciences, as well as a new SLMS student hub at street level.
Clustered around highly specified laboratories, the approach was to incorporate various spatial strategies to create flexible and adaptable research spaces which encourage communication between students, departmental researchers, and professors.
The project involved the complex coordination with services engineers and specialist Lab consultants to accommodate for new specialist laboratory space alongside new mechanical, electrical and public health services within an existing building.
The 222 Euston Road refurbishment provides new accommodation for the Farr Institute of Health Informatics, which links electronic health data with other forms of research. We designed new facilities including office accommodation for desktop research and administration, teaching and meeting spaces. Sophisticated audiovisual systems are in place to enable virtual meetings between different members of the institute and the spaces are serviced with state-of-the-art IT and data support.
Due to requirements of the funding programme the project needed to be delivered at an accelerated speed. The building completed ten months following our appointment.
222
Camden, London
University College London
Euston Road, UCL
Whittington Hospital, Highgate Wing
Islington
Whittington Hospital Trust/UCL
The scheme was a collaborative project between Whittington Hospital, building owners and University College London’s medical school who use the facilities. The project consists of a refurbishment of two floors of a Victorian Nightingale Ward hospital to create a new student medical library and learning centre, including computer hub; social study spaces; seminar rooms and associated office space.
The ground floor design provides an open and inviting shared space for independent learning with computer hub, library and group study rooms. The second floor provides several flexible teaching spaces and admin facilities.
Alexandra House
Camden University College London
Alexandra House forms part of the UCL Estate at Queen’s Square, the home to the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience. The project creates a new flexible seminar room in the basement and an academic office on the fifth floor for a research group and the director of the ICN.
Due to the confined nature of the attic level, the designs introduce open plan clusters of desks. Support areas comprise of a meeting room, tea point and breakout area. The seminar room are designed to be incredibly flexible to support set ups for group work and classroom style seminar layouts.
Several research groups from the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience needed to relocate to Russell Square House. We first consulted individually with senior academics from each research group to understand their specific needs – from there we were able to develop a building plan that best allowed co-location of each group. Our approach to the interiors is to create a mix of open plan and cellular offices, meeting rooms, social spaces and a branded reception area.
Russell Square House, UCL
Camden, London
University College London
Related research and academic buildings
Kathleen Lonsdale Building, UCL
Camden, London
University College London
This substantial Grade II listed, five storey building has been completely refurbished to create high quality, academic space for various departments within the Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences and to co-locate the entire Earth Science department for the first time in UCL’s history. Specialist laboratories, teaching rooms, research facilities and offices have been provided, supported by areas for socialising and group working, whilst issues of accessibility and wayfinding have also been addressed. Importantly, period features have been restored where possible, including the original staircase and glazed brick columns.
“This project brings enormous benefits for all members of the department. Among these are new specialist teaching labs, social hub spaces for the students that are in close proximity to their Professors, and vastly improved and entirely new research laboratories.”
Professor Lars Stixrude, Head of Department, UCL Earth Sciences
“UCL Laws has, at long last, a home fit for our world-leading research, teaching and social enterprise. The project has given the Faculty more than a building: it’s given us an inspiring environment in which our whole community can come together.”
Professor Piet Eeckhout, Dean, UCL Laws
Faculty of Laws, UCL
Camden, London
University College London
With increasing numbers of staff and students requiring improved facilities, our design fully integrates all existing parts of Bentham House – a Grade II listed former Union Headquarters – and the adjacent mid-20th century Gideon Schreier Wing. A new atrium between the two buildings provides access to all levels and a welcoming, legible heart to the faculty. Within the new brick and stone extension, we have added multi-purpose teaching/seminar spaces on the lowest floors and new offices and support spaces above. A new Portland stone façade unites the street elevation referencing the predominantly Georgian context.
“The highly creative plans Levitt Bernstein produced for the building have seamlessly married the much-loved traditional spaces with bright, modern facilities, giving our Faculty a home that reflects and respects its heritage, while also supporting and driving its forward-thinking, global agenda.”
Professor Dame Hazel Genn, Project Sponsor, UCL Laws
This project encloses an existing service yard as an undercroft to create a new public space at the heart of UCL’s Bloomsbury campus. Conceived as a contemporary, high quality, stone landscaped terrace within the historic courtyard, it features a striking ‘fourth façade’, which completes the classical courtyard composition and conceals the plethora of services required for the existing buildings and the new lower refectory. Constructed using Portland Stone and designed to classical Georgian proportions, it is a contemporary interpretation of the surrounding historic architecture and helps to tie all the courtyard elements together.
“This is a significant milestone for our Transforming UCL programme delivering flexible outdoor space at the heart of our Bloomsbury campus... It is a fabulous space developed for our staff, students and visitors and will benefit and inspire our entire academic community for generations to come.”
Andrew Grainger, Director, UCLEstates
Wilkins Terrace, UCL
Camden, London
University College London
“This project very successfully encloses an existing services yard to create much need new social congregation space at the heart of campus.
The façade employs high quality materials in the form of stone and brick to give a pleasant aspect.”
Civic Trust Awards judge
This new satellite facility on Level 38 of One Canada Square is inspired by the School’s interface between business and academia. The floor is split with one half providing high specification teaching spaces, including two Harvard style theatres and numerous break-out facilities; and the other half a range of office and workspaces. These are organised into distinct ‘villages’, each defined by an informal array of cellular rooms looking out onto shared workspace. Across the floor, broken geometries create informal spaces for serendipitous meetings, encouraging collaboration and interaction at every turn.
“More than just providing the highest quality facilities in an operational sense, our new home in One Canada Square reflects our strong focus on innovation, technology, analytics and entrepreneurship, with communication and collaboration encouraged at every turn.”
Bert De Reyck, Director, UCL School of ManagementSchool of Management, UCL
Tower Hamlets, London
University College London
“By using broken geometries across the whole floorplate we’ve created informal spaces and shared breakout areas which allow for serendipitous meetings between students and faculty, with the aim of sparking unexpected conversations and shared creative thinking.”
Matthew Goulcher, Managing Director
UAL Wimbledon
Merton, London
University of the Arts London
Wimbledon College of Arts is an internationallyrecognised education provider, however, their facilities were not reflecting their status or technical requirements. We adapted and refurbished their existing campus, located in a Conservation Area, to create an integrated performance environment. New performance and rehearsal studios have been created, followed by significant refurbishment to the theatre and library. No major demolition took place, instead, external works enhance the general appearance and tie both buildings together. Flexible, multi-functional ‘pockets’ of outdoor space bring students and staff closer to nature. This programme of works fundamentally improved the student experience as well as presented an opportunity to create a more sustainable campus.
“I think this is gorgeous and creating something great out of something that is just adequate… Black will be the new orange! And it is something we should embrace and be incredibly proud in doing.”
Councillor Nick Draper, Merton Council
Health buildings
This project involved the design of an innovative new outpatients’ ward offering same-day treatment. The centre is split into a series of dynamic zones, each adapted for different users and uses. Features such as an observable children’s playspace and central nurses’ station ensure patients are stable and safe, whilst smaller glazed areas give clinicians space to converse, protecting patient confidentiality.
“This project is about people first. It’s about using design to make the experience of being in hospital less terrifying. The aim all along was to make sure all patients feel welcomed and not institutionalised the moment they cross the threshold.”
Matthew Goulcher, Managing DirectorWhittington Ambulatory Care
Islington, London
Whittington Hospital
Midwife-Led Unit
Greater Manchester
Tameside General Hospital
This project will create a new dedicated birthing centre on the ground floor of the 1970s Charlesworth Building at Tameside General Hospital, as separate from the other on-site maternity facilities. The scheme provides a dedicated entrance to the new unit and staff hub. Artwork, mood lighting and personal storage spaces will be implemented throughout to create a comfortable atmosphere for mothers and their families.
