Lancaster labs take off

The north-east has its Anthony Gormley Angel, now drivers through the north-west of England have their own landmark. And, as well as being a visual milestone, this has a practical purpose.

The distinct, green copper-clad InfoLab21 is a new centre of excellence for the research and development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). It is owned and operated by Lancaster University, with rentable space for local businesses. The key aim of the centre is to encourage the transfer of ICT between the university and industry and become a focal point for the development of the industry in the region.

Constructed on a brownfield site at the south of Lancaster University campus grounds, the building is divided into three main areas. A four-storey, L-shaped area accommodates 250 academics and researchers from the Lancaster University Post Graduate Centre. To the west of this, a three-storey block comprises the Knowledge Business Centre (KBC), which houses around 20 specialist ICT firms and a training unit specialising in networking and systems administration. The two buildings are linked by a three-level, double glazed bridge that contains the entrance and shared facilities.

The majority of m&e plant is located alongside the main laboratories to minimise the service runs. “The biggest part of the job was the co-ordination between the services and the structure,” explained Peter Bibby, project manager for m&e contractor Haden Young. The firm’s £2.7 million m&e contract on the design and build project included the development of the design and installation over a 36-week period on site.

It produced detailed design drawings using Autodesk Building Systems 2005. “This gave us the facility to spatially co-ordinate between services such as pipework, ductwork, containment and structural components to achieve a 3D model representation of the space and components,” explained Bibby. This early involvement meant the actual installation of services was completed with ease. Saving further time, the structure was erected and temporarily enclosed allowing Haden Young to begin the first fix m&e installation prior to completion of the external elevation.

The heavy emphasis on IT meant the installation of over 2500 data points throughout the building with their associated structured cabling to Category 6 standards. To provide power to the site, a new substation was built adjacent to InfoLab21, with the supply to each of the two 1000 kVA transformers provided by a break-in to the existing 11 kV ring-main.

The project was co-ordinated from site by main contractor HBG Construction and Haden Young, with e-mail being the primary means of communication with external design consultants.

The building was designed to be energy efficient, with features including low energy lighting, heat recovery and the use of energy efficient motors. These contributed to the design achieving an environmental assessment (BREEAM) rating of Excellent. So with InfoLab21 showing green credentials inside and out, it’s sure to become something for those from the north-east to envy.