Currie & Brown appointed on major new-build projects for the University of Cambridge

19 October 2017

The University of Cambridge has engaged Currie & Brown to provide project management and principal designer services on the construction of two major research and teaching facilities on the West Cambridge campus.

The new 344,500ft² Cavendish Laboratory is intended to replace existing Department of Physics facilities. It will accommodate multiple research groups and include a public wing housing lecture theatres, seminar rooms, a learning resource centre and the Cavendish Collection exhibition. The building will incorporate strict vibration and electromagnetic interference controls, as well as meeting stringent criteria for temperature and humidity. 

An associated 54,000ft² shared facilities hub will provide teaching, meeting, study and catering space for all members of the campus. The hub, which is designed to connect people from departments across the university, is part of a wider scheme to relocate the increasing student and staff population to west Cambridge and to centralise their learning and teaching resources. 

"In addition to serving as a home for physics research at Cambridge, the new Cavendish Laboratory will be a top-class facility for the nation – much of the specialised research equipment in the new building will be made available to other institutions. Capacity for public events has also been incorporated in the design, so that our extensive programme of work with schools, and with the general public, will continue to serve the local population well into the future," stated Professor Andy Parker, head of the Cavendish Laboratory. 

Stephen Law, director of project management in Currie & Brown's Cambridge office, said: "Both schemes are set to support world-leading research and industry collaboration at the University of Cambridge. We're proud to have been selected as part of the project team in the creation of such a globally significant research campus."