ISG picked for £70m London uni lab

ISG has been selected preferred contractor for a £70m biomedical lab at Imperial College London’s new White City campus in west London.

The Michael Uren Biomedial Engineering Research Hub will be one of the flagship buildings at the new 23-acre campus, which is dedicated to research and innovation in science, engineering, medicine and business.

The Hub will incorporate a clinical facility for patients side-by-side with multidisciplinary laboratories and offices. Research areas will include new technologies for the early detection, monitoring and treatment of cancers; the development of minimally invasive implants; regenerative medicine and technology to aid recovery from nervous system injuries.

The facility is named after Imperial alumnus Sir Michael Uren, who made a £40m gift towards its construction, the largest ever donation made to a London university by an alumnus.

The 14-storey arrow-shaped facility will feature a hybrid concrete and steel frame structure. A full-height steel frame nose cone, forming the apex of the arrow, will house the building’s complex mechanical and electrical services infrastructure. A glazed façade with prefabricated and geometrically distinct concrete fins to two elevations will provide solar shading.

Work on the project will start early next year, with completion scheduled for 2019.

Graham Stark, development director for the White City Campus at Imperial College London, said: “Driving collaboration across research disciplines for the benefit of society is fundamental to Imperial’s strategy. The Michael Uren Biomedical Engineering Hub is an immensely exciting step forward in achieving this ambition.”

Danny Blakeston, managing director of ISG’s engineering services business, commented: “Securing our latest major project for Imperial at the White City Campus is a major achievement for the business. It cements our reputation as a specialist in the delivery of highly-engineered spaces.”