Astra Zeneca, Alderley Park, Cheshire

Astra Zeneca

Astra Zeneca’s requirement was for the provision of 20,000m² “state of the art” multi-disciplinary laboratories housing 260 scientists undertaking cancer research, together with a glazed circulation “street” to link with the existing facilities, promote interaction and provide a focus for the research community.

The site, on Astra Zeneca’s existing campus at Alderley Park, has a beautiful location in the Cheshire scenic district with rolling green fields, forest climbing down the east and the calm Radnor Mere to the north. The client’s intention was to condense the activity within this area and to improve the communication to create a modern and well-functioning centre for pharmaceutical research and development. New buildings are carefully inserted in between existing buildings and create clear circulation routes with a primary circulation spine which connects the different laboratories as tight as possible. The main circular spine is to have views out and to accommodate meeting points, tea/coffee areas and conference rooms.

The building was the latest stage of a phased £240 million re-development masterplan by Swedish architect Gert Wingardh. Occupying a prominent position in what was previously a car park; the building had to comply with strict Local Authority restrictions of both developable area and building height to protect the Cheshire parkland setting and its rural prospect. This in turn reduced floor to floor heights which impacted severely on the engineering services.

The building was organised as two five-storey laboratory blocks linking onto a roof-glazed street in a classic “spine and rib” configuration, with a new, main entrance and reception between the two blocks.

The new glazed street incorporates a basement services spine and the roof is structurally separated from and integrated with an existing office block which is parallel to the street. The street and the refurbished offices are a single fire compartment while the new laboratories are separate fire compartments to allow the street to be as open as possible and allow the provision of a variety of meeting rooms and other interaction areas within it.

The street itself has the same stone floor finish used externally for elevations and the plaza to provide a timeless, quality benchmark. The upper-level circulation galleries are in a matching colour and tone of terrazzo.

The laboratory blocks and their roof-top plant rooms are presented as a stone-faced monolith whilst glazing and louvres are organised as a curtain wall plane set in front of the stone box. The solidity of the stone is emphasised by the corner slot windows set back from the stone face.

The laboratory wings locate chemistry laboratories on the top floor which have a studio like atmosphere due to the (unusual) absence of suspended ceilings. Adjacent write-up areas are separated from the laboratories by a floor-to-ceiling glass wall to minimise the visual disruption of the space. The fume cupboards have been specially developed for a high degree of flexibility in use by easily reconfigured internal dividers and adjustable height work surfaces for ideal ergonomics.