DMA

Planning has been submitted for a new purpose-built, R&D building in King’s Cross for our client, Kadans Science Partner.

The proposal sits adjacent to 5-10 Brandon Road, a new life-science facility currently under construction, that we have been working on with Kadans.

Its new neighbour will provide an additional five storeys of flexible laboratory and small-scale manufacturing space that is designed to allow businesses to expand and grow on the site. The design allows maximum adaptability, with access to servicing across a flexible internal layout and a regular structural grid that minimises vibration across the floor plate and allows specialist working throughout. The building has also been designed for disassembly and re-use, future-proofing its lifespan.

The elegant elevations celebrate the Life Science use with the clean lines of an articulated grid based on the internal structure and exposed servicing. The double height reception space creates a sense of arrival and welcomes building users as well as helping to activate the street and there are external terraces at the second and fourth floor levels.

Externally, the design reflects the Life Science use whilst also remaining contextual to the area’s industrial heritage. This is considered through a façade of clean, elegant lines informed by the internal laboratory grid, complemented by a palette of robust materials including pre-cast concrete and decorative architectural metalwork.

The laboratory spaces are orientated to the primary Brandon Road frontage to activate the street to passers-by, with a double-height entrance creating sense of arrival to building users.

The building has been designed with passive principles in mind – the compact form creates an efficient form factor; the fenestration has been articulated to respond to orientation creating a balance between natural daylight and mitigating overheating, with external canopies to the south elevation. The building’s heating and cooling requirements will be served entirely by air-source heat pumps.

Project Lead, Tom Murphy, said,

“It’s very exciting to be able to expand on our work at 5-10 Brandon Road, designing a streetscape in the context of this historically rich and increasingly vibrant part of the city.”