University of SouthamptonLife Sciences Building Southampton, UK

NBBJ PROJECT CASE STUDY

Bringing Science to Life

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON LIFE SCIENCES BUILDING

Southampton, UK

The new Life Sciences Building at the University of Southampton

facilitates the fusion of expertise in education and research, related to

human health and environmental issues, from a range of disciplines.

“The world of science is changing, and the University recognises the

need to reflect this in its educational and research provision. Life

science research has an important role in helping us to understand

the mechanisms that underpin life.”

The University of Southampton has long had a reputation for bringing together some

of the best minds in science, but its 1970s-era facility on the Boldrewood campus was

outdated, too expensive to operate, and a potentially unsafe working environment.

NBBJ partnered with the University to create a world-leading centre for cross-

disciplinary research, learning, and innovation—with the goal of finding solutions to

common human health and environmental challenges. NBBJ rose to the challenge and

designed a modern, purpose-designed building on the Main Highfield campus as the

new home for the Schools of Medicine and Biological Sciences and the Institute for

Life Sciences (IFLS).

The IFLS reflects a growing migration among top universities toward “convergence,”

a broad rethinking of how all scientific research can be conducted to capitalise on

a range of knowledge bases, from microbiology to computer science to engineering

design. The new Life Sciences Building facilitates the fusion of expertise in education

and research from a range of disciplines and fosters cross-disciplinary and synergistic

research within departments that had been traditionally “siloed.”

The Power of Convergence

— PROFESSOR DAVID WILLIAMS, DEAN OF THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE,

HEALTH AND LIFE SCIENCES

The Life Science Building completes the University’s campus, forming the northeastern

edge of Library Square, while defining a much-needed congregation space shared with

the neighbouring engineering building. The new building’s organic form was developed

in response to the constricted, irregular, sloping site. It also needed to allow an existing

structure, which blocked access from Library Square, to remain in place for a number

of years following occupation. NBBJ’s main focus was to provide a design with a strong

presence that would work with and without that structure in place, while improving

pedestrian flow.

Making the Most of a Challenging Site

The building’s organic form

was developed in response

to the constricted, irregular,

sloping site.

The resulting design maximises the building’s volume towards the east of the available

site to allow adequate distance from the University’s adjacent college building, ensuring

daylight and views for occupants of both buildings.

To avoid creating a monotonous, straight “canyon” between the two structures, NBBJ

designed the Life Sciences Building to widen and narrow along its west side, creating

space for its two entrances as well as for the adjacent college’s entrance. This also

allows for a courtyard garden adjacent to the learning centre. The spaces in front of the

two entrances are accessed and connected by a series of landscaped steps and ramps,

providing seating and space where students can gather.

“NBBJ has been a clever, even cunning player. Providing the campus with

its endgame, NBBJ has calmly read the situation and responded to the

complexity of both context and brief with a control and clarity of which

Basil Spence would no doubt approve.” —ARCHITECTURE TODAY

Library Square

Entrance

Plaza

The building’s siting and form create quality in-between

spaces and improve campus flow.

The stepped entrance plaza serves not only the two

entrances of the Life Sciences Building, but also the

neighbouring building.

The durable façade uses western red cedar timber as the primary exterior material and

as a pre-fabricated cladding system. This wraps both offices and laboratories—a singular

approach that makes the building easily identifiable on campus and allows the system to be

developed and tested in greater detail than would have been possible if a range of façade

materials had been proposed.

When detailing is poorly executed, timber façades can lead to buildings that streak,

discolour, warp and leak. To ensure this would not occur, the designers selected western red

cedar for its durability. Board-on-board strips were prefabricated into rain screen panels so

that no fixings are exposed. Particular attention has been given to issues of water run-off.

Nanotechnology was employed in the form of a microporous hydrophobic treatment which

impregnates the timber at a molecular level rather than the conventional sealed film coating.

This also affords ultra-violet protection, slowing the ageing of the timber’s lignin through

photo-oxidative decomposition, so the building greys consistently over a long period of time

and requires little maintenance.

A Distinctive Façade Takes Advantage of Nanotechnology

The timber louvres provide sun

shading and create striking

variations in the appearance

of the façade when seen from

different angles.

An alternating band of bamboo acoustic panels and glass

continues the external cladding theme in the interior. The band runs

along two sides of the central light well where the ratio of glass to

timber shifts, becoming predominantly glazed to allow views from

offices into shared laboratories.

Accommodating approximately 450 occupants, the building comprises general and

specialist research laboratories, administrative and academic office space, and teaching

and social space. From the outset of the project, the emphasis was on encouraging cross-

disciplinary collaboration between the scientists and occupants working in these spaces.

This aim has been facilitated by arranging the various functions within a legible, open

environment with good connectivity and opportunities for interaction. The building’s main

spaces are organised into a compact layout around a central atrium that brings light into

the heart of the building and creates a natural ventilation stack within the office space.

Due to the differing floor-to-floor heights required, two levels of research laboratories

on the upper floors are stacked adjacent to three levels of terraced office space.

The resulting split-level configuration ensures good connectivity and opportunities

for interaction.

The visual connectivity across the light well and wide circulation space allow for legibility

and interaction in addition to dedicated social space. From the location of the student and

teaching spaces off the ground floor public concourse, one can see up into the research

spaces above, creating a visual connection between the two different worlds of teaching

and research.

Organisation and Collaboration

Longitudinal section

Cross section

Life Sciences Building Program

Level 5Shared Research Core

General Research Labs Lab Support

Level 4MEDU Offices

Research Offices

Level 3Faculty

Research Offices Shared Research Core

Lab Support General Research Labs

Level 2Reception

Faculty Shelled Research Space

Field Lab Seminar Rooms Learning Space

Catering

Level 1Prep Lab

Teaching Lab

Level 7Observatory Glasshouse

Level 6Meeting/Breakout Research Offices

The building is organised with the teaching areas around the base of a central light well and with

research laboratories wrapping around two sides of the upper light well space, from which write-up

terraces and offices are accessed. At the top of the four-storey building, a roof-top “observatory”

provides high-quality meeting and social/interaction space with views towards the sea.

The central light well resolves the sectional

problem of stacking offices, typically

with 3.4 metre floor-to-floor heights, next

to laboratory spaces with deep ceiling

plenums, typically five metres floor-to-floor.

Shared Research CoreFlexible laboratory suites are made possible by a shared “Research Core” containing an

array of specialised support technologies, including advanced microscopy, electrophysiology,

spectometry and computer graphics equipment. The resulting open plan areas are located

beside windows to allow scientists to work in daylight.

The Evolution of Research Space

RESEARCH SPACE

OFFICES

OFFICE ENVIRONMENT

CLASS 2 LAB ENVIRONMENT

GENERAL LABS SUITE

SHARED RESEARCH

CORE

OFFICESOFFICES

GENERAL LAB

SHARED

SUPPORT

CORE

GENERAL LAB

SHARED RESEARCH

CORE

In addition to water conservation and materials waste reduction strategies, several key

energy reduction strategies were implemented, resulting in a BREEAM “Very Good” rating.

A typical lab uses five times more energy and water per square metre than an office

building. Research labs are energy-demanding for a variety of reasons. They contain

large numbers of containment and exhaust devices. They house a great deal of heat-

generating equipment, and researchers require 24–hour access. Irreplaceable experiments

require fail-safe redundant backup systems, UPS or emergency power. By examining

energy and water requirements from a holistic perspective and undertaking an integrated

building approach, significant opportunities for improving efficiencies were realised while

meeting health and safety standards. For this project, the UK’s 2019 drive for zero carbon

emissions, combined with the 10 percent renewably sourced site energy requirement,

resulted in a largely different approach for a laboratory building.

• Building Massing: The building’s compact form provides high insulation levels and

efficient air circulation.

• Glazing: The building’s glazing is located to provide useful daylight, and shaded by

orientation, external shading and internal blinds to reduce solar gain throughout the

summer months particularly.

• Ventilation: The upper three levels of academic offices are partially naturally ventilated,

reducing plant running loads. Space condition sensors are linked to a Building

Management System so that heating, cooling and mechanical ventilation is provided

to match needs by zone.

• Standards: A wider temperature comfort-band criteria has been accepted for all office

areas, as compared to that which would conventionally be adopted in an “air

conditioned office.” Occupied office spaces are cooled overnight to reduce active

cooling loads in the summer season.

• Lighting: Artificial lighting incorporates daylight and presence detection wherever

appropriate, to reduce use of electricity.

These load reduction initiatives are complemented by the primary energy source being

provided by the University’s district centralised heating plant scheme, which has greater

carbon efficiency than conventional separate heating and electrical sources.

Sustainability

“One of ten most innovative contemporary life sciences facilities…

it reflects a collaborative approach, providing researchers

with flexible work environments that break down barriers to

communication and sharing of ideas.” – URBAN LAND INSTITUTE

CLIENT University of Southampton

SIZE 10,000 SM

COMPONENTS Wet and dry labs, HO licensed support labs, teaching labs, seminar and meeting rooms, conference suite, transgenic glasshouses, neuroimaging suite, offices, café

SUSTAINABILITY BREEAM “Very Good”

AWARDS Royal Institute of British Architects, RIBA Award 2011

Urban Land Institute’s ranking “Top Ten Life Sciences Buildings”

NBBJ Services

Architecture

Change Management

Construction Administration

Interior Design

Facility Planning

Financial Analysis

Graphic Design and Signage

Laboratory Design

About NBBJ

NBBJ is an award-winning global design and architecture firm focused on helping clients

capitalise on the relationship between people and the design of physical space to enhance

organisational performance.

From academic research and university medical schools to simulation centres and campus

planning, NBBJ is a global leader in creating performance-based learning environments.

Consistently recognised by clients for our creative and professional design process, NBBJ

has partnered with leading global learning and research institutions, including University of

Cambridge, Stanford University, The Wellcome Trust and The Salk Institute among others.

Our expertise encompasses multiple disciplines, with architects, lab specialists, economists

and sustainability experts working together to design innovative centres for learning.

NBBJ’s network of offices enables us to deliver quality projects that are regionally and

locally appropriate. It allows us to act as a single creative force—leveraging the latest

thinking from NBBJ colleagues in other locations, bringing a rich blend of expertise to

each project.

Land-Use Planning

Lighting Design

Master Planning

Programming

Project and Cost Management

Retail Planning and Design

Space Planning

Workplace Consulting

N B B J . C O MB E I J I N G B O S T O N C O L U M B U S L O N D O N L O S A N G E L E S N E W Y O R K P U N E S A N F R A N C I S C O S E A T T L E S H A N G H A I