The University of Cambridge has been given the go-ahead for ‘Project Capella’ – a new £79 million research facility that will be delivered by Kier and designed by The Fairhursts Design Group.

The six-storey 18,000sq m centre will be located adjacent to the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute within the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, and will provide state-of-the-art research laboratories in a collaborative environment to stimulate the exchange of ideas.

The facility, which aims to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating, incorporates a variety of laboratory spaces alongside office and meeting suites, all set within a collaborative working environment.

Externally the building features a two-storey glazed box with gold metal detailing and double height entrance foyer, while the spine is to be clad in a flat-faced graphite panel.

Kier project lead, Shak Chowdhury, said: “This open and transparent approach has enabled an £79m complex research facility to progress from having no design to being on site in just 12 months.”

A variety of materials have been selected to define specific elements of the structure and to avoid the blank façades that a building of this scale can create.

Mark Adey, director at The Fairhursts Design Group, said: “The proposed building will provide a cutting edge facility appropriate for the complex research currently being carried out in isolated, outdated facilities across Cambridge.

“Our design uses forms and materials that respect the existing built environment, and will further enhance the Cambridge Biomedical Campus through associated realm and landscaping in accordance with the ethos of development including the 2020 vision.”