Series
•How we made it: Sycamore House
The project
Kadans Science Partner and Mission Street transformed an existing industrial building into a unique life science co-working space, blending high-tech labs, flexible offices, and communal areas. This model caters to start-ups, scale-ups, and established firms.
Challenges included addressing limited natural light, potential modification costs, and accommodating existing tenants during works.
- Location: Stevenage, Hertfordshire
- Client: Kadans Science Partner / Mission Street
- Architect: Owers Warwick Architects
- Size: 6,750m2
- Stage: Complete
- Time Frame: 2019-2022
The process
Vibration and loading
Laboratories arranged on the ground floor to allow for a greater loading and dynamic performance.
Office requirements:
- Imposed load = 2.5 kN/m2
- Response Factors = < 8
Life Science requirements:
- Imposed load = 4 +1 kN/m2
- Response Factors = < 1 at GF
At Sycamore House, we decided early on to design highly sensitive laboratories only at ground floor level, where a ground-bearing slab provided sufficient capacity for the required performances, saving cost and carbon for the construction of new suspended mezzanine slabs.
Giorgio Cardone, Associate Director
New mezzanine and M&E service integration
Light weight steel frame with shallow structural depths at first floor to suit existing height limitations.
Services provided via perimeter trunking with drop-down access from a ceiling track.
New reinforced concrete structure with exposed slab soffits for flexibility for laboratory layouts and services integration.
Reduction in break out for foundation works where only office rooms were located.
Below ground drainage
Façade
New mezzanine
Below Ground Drainage
Alterations and additions were required for CAT B fit out.
Façade alterations
Overclad system developed to minimise cost and material waste whilst retaining as much as the existing structure as possible.
The impact
Sycamore House distinguishes itself from traditional laboratories by emphasising open, collaborative spaces that are light, airy and green.
The use of RC flat slab structure allows for easy distribution of horizontal services within each mezzanine sub frame, offering tenants the flexibility to install extensive M&E provisions without modifying the base build. This adaptability proved invaluable during the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling swift and cost-effective adjustments to meet the changing needs of tenants.
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