Estate rationalisation, creating a state-of-the-art research and teaching facility

UNIVERSITY OF READING HEALTH & LIFE SCIENCES

Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) has worked with the University of Reading for 20 years under consecutive framework agreements and was appointed to provide Quantity Surveying services on this complex laboratory project.

The main driver for this project was to consolidate the activities currently being undertaken within four buildings scattered around Whiteknights Campus into one modern, state-of-the-art research and teaching facility.
Arranged over 4 storeys, the building is a mixture of flexible teaching and research space constructed around a central atrium. The teaching laboratories can be configured for groups of up to 280, whilst the research laboratories serve the needs of 95 academic researchers and 145 doctoral students.
The ground floor houses a museum and presentation space with adjacent café facility for the benefit of all users and visitors. The building is linked into the campus-wide district heating scheme thereby achieving sustainability objectives, aided also by solar PV on roof areas.
The new facility will enable the University to rationalise their estate and demolish four ‘60’s buildings upon completion.
A key challenge for the project team was agreeing with stakeholders the space required to undertake on-going activities and build for growth.
Photo credit: Stride Treglown