Hopkins-designed research centre in north London wins approval
A £42m research centre for AIDS and immune-related conditions has been given planning approval by Camden Council.
The Pears Building, designed by Hopkins Architects, will be constructed alongside the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, north London, on the site of an existing multi-storey car park.
Vinci is preferred bidder to build the project.
It will be home to the University College London (UCL) Institute of Immunity and Transplantation (IIT), which carries out research into immune-related conditions such as leukaemia, type 1 diabetes and HIV.
The facility is a partnership between the Royal Free Charity, the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and UCL.
The building means the IIT, currently situated in the main hospital building, will be able to relocate to its own facility. The Pears Building will also include patient accommodation, office space for volunteers and a car park.
Construction work is expected to begin in the spring and finish in 2017.
Planning permission is subject to the completion of a S106 legal agreement and a range of planning conditions.
The money for the new building has been raised by the Royal Free Charity and UCL.
David Sloman, chief executive of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The new building will bring huge benefits to patients, including providing on site accommodation for out-patients who live far from the hospital.”
Chris Burghes, chief executive of the Royal Free Charity, added: “We have employed high calibre architects to design this building so that it reflects the architecture of the surrounding area and we aim to ensure this will be a building that everyone in Hampstead can be proud of.”
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