A research center and headquarters for pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca is set to appear on the Cambridge biomedical campus in 2016.
The three-story structure with a central courtyard reflects the typology of the historic college buildings at Cambridge University. The permeable first floor opens up a public space (open to everyone, like the courtyards of Cambridge) with large trees and a green lawn, which are facing three main entrances.
The structure of the building is a triangular loop: all transit zones and open work spaces are centered around the courtyard, while the cells of the research laboratories form an outer "radius". Thus, firstly, the travel time around the building is reduced and, secondly, the interaction between the people working there increases. One of the main goals of AstraZeneca is to encourage staff to collaborate and work collectively, so scientific laboratories are separated from each other and from the general area only by transparent partitions. Thanks to this internal structure, the idea of "visible science" is being implemented - science becomes "visible", the level of employee motivation increases and social ties are strengthened, which ultimately develops the company's potential. The interior space has clear functional zoning, but at the same time, its openness and transparency create a favorable environment for creativity, communication and exchange of information.
The zigzag roof allows natural light to flow deep inside, and the geometry of the facade echoes it, creating the vertical structure of the building and its memorable "jagged" appearance.
Only renders of the future building were presented to the public, but, according to AstraZeneca, their new research center will have a low level of energy consumption, which will be facilitated, in particular, "green" roofs and Europe's largest geothermal pump.
Construction is expected to begin in early 2015.
