A brand new laboratory at The Pirbright Institute, opened earlier this year by HRH The Princess Royal, has scooped a prestigious design award at the Guildford Design Awards 2017. The awards, which take place every two years, were established in 1987 to celebrate well-designed, innovative architectural and environmental projects that contribute to the quality and sustainability of our surroundings.
The BBSRC National Vaccinology Centre: The Jenner Building won jointly with a renovation project in the New Build category and impressed the judges with its contemporary functional design coupled with strong sustainability credentials. The £17 million building is home to over 100 scientists delivering world-leading research though energy efficient facilities including photovoltaic panels, thermal mass heating that secured the building a BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating.
Designed by architects NBBJ and constructed by John Sisk & Son’s the new laboratory is surrounded by bio-diverse landscaped gardens including a wildlife meadow that received a CIRIA biodiversity BIG challenge award in 2017. The BBSRC National Vaccinology Centre is part of wider redevelopment of Pirbright’s scientific campus, which is the result of £350 million pounds of strategy capital investment by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). The Jenner Building, named after Edward Jenner who successfully eradicated smallpox through the discovery of an effective vaccine, features open plan laboratories that can each house between 6 and 30 scientists, encouraging interaction and collaboration.
Director of Capability Mike Johnson said: “This award for the BBSRC National Vaccinology Centre: The Jenner Building is a testament to the huge amount of consideration that goes into the design of all the Institute’s new facilities to ensure that they are aesthetically beautiful while delivering functionality and energy efficiency. The Jenner Building provides a fantastic design vision of the future intent for development on the Pirbright site.”
Ingo Braun, Design Director at NBBJ said: “We were delighted to receive this rigorously judged and very relevant award. The Pirbright Institute showed a lot of vision by allowing us to bring design excellence to this nationally important site and help them to reimagine their collegial quality campus. NBBJ continues to work with The Pirbright Institute on future projects, and we look forward to helping them to deliver exceptional projects such as the BBSRC National Vaccinology Centre: The Jenner Building.”
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About The Pirbright Institute
The Pirbright Institute is a world leading centre of excellence in research and surveillance of virus diseases of farm animals and viruses that spread from animals to humans. Based in the UK and receiving strategic funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the Institute works to enhance capability to contain, control and eliminate these economically and medically important diseases through highly innovative fundamental and applied bioscience.
With an annual income of nearly £26.1 million from grants and commercial activity, and a total of £5 million strategic investment from BBSRC during 2016-2017, the Institute contributes to global food security and health, improving quality of life for animals and people.
For more information about The Pirbright Institute see: www.pirbright.ac.uk
About BBSRC
BBSRC invests in world-class bioscience research and training on behalf of the UK public. Our aim is to further scientific knowledge, to promote economic growth, wealth and job creation and to improve quality of life in the UK and beyond.
Funded by government, BBSRC invested £469 million in world-class bioscience in 2016-17. We support research and training in universities and strategically funded institutes. BBSRC research and the people we fund are helping society to meet major challenges, including food security, green energy and healthier, longer lives. Our investments underpin important UK economic sectors, such as farming, food, industrial biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.
More information about BBSRC, our science and our impact: www.bbsrc.ukri.org
More information about BBSRC strategically funded institutes: www.bbsrc.ac.uk/institutes