Construction Begins on Europe’s Tallest Purpose-built Commercial Lab Building

Construction has started on One North Quay in London’s Canary Wharf. Image: Courtesy of Kadans

Construction of Europe’s tallest and most technically sophisticated purpose-built commercial lab building has started on site at Canary Wharf, London, UK.

In partnership, Canary Wharf Group (CWG) and Kadans Science Partner (Kadans) are developing One North Quay, an 823,000 sf vertical campus, which is one of the biggest commercial developments to commence in London this year.

One North Quay will supply London with best-in-class, purpose-built lab space that will support an ecosystem of companies ranging from multi nationals to educational establishments, as well as fast growing, innovative life science and technology companies. It represents a significant and exciting part of London’s future as an international hub for science and innovation excellence, offering unparalleled facilities and opportunities for collaboration in the heart of one of the world’s most dynamic urban environments.

Up to 60 percent of the building will be delivered as level 2 (CL2) wet laboratory space and can accommodate up to level 3 laboratory containment (CL3), an undersupplied type of space in the London life sciences sector. The building will also have double height floors to support Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) spaces, which are also in limited supply in London.

Contributions to London

Rendering of the lab space in One North Quay. Image: Courtesy of Kadans

In contrast to other commercial life sciences buildings and science parks in the UK, architects KPF designed One North Quay as a 23-story ‘vertical science campus’ that has flexible floor plates and future-proofed infrastructure that can support technological advancements across sub-sectors and enable occupiers to adapt their space or facilitate a seamless transition to larger spaces without disrupting operations, something that is unique in the London market.

Situated in Canary Wharf, its location also offers its customers unparalleled connectivity with strong transport links via the Elizabeth line, Jubilee line, and Docklands Light Rail (DLR), across London, and to Heathrow Airport and London City Airport.

Shobi Khan, CEO of CWG, says, “One North Quay is a significant addition to the life sciences, health, and tech community at Canary Wharf, delivering fit for purpose, flexible lab space in London that offers a broad range of state-of-the-art facilities and offerings to support an ecosystem of companies ranging from multi nationals to start-ups, as well as educational establishments. The vertical campus will set a new precedent in terms of scale, technology, and sustainability, and forms part of Canary Wharf’s ongoing 3.0 strategy in creating a vibrant urban mixed use community which has 16.5 acres of green spaces and waterside living, over 350 shops, restaurants and bars as well as a growing leisure and amenities offering and a year-round events calendar.”

Michel Leemhuis, CEO of Kadans Science Partner, adds, “The life science sector has been singled out by the UK’s new government as being a critical partner for its plans to deliver positive change and economic growth, and we agree the UK can continue to maintain its strong global leadership position. Kadans prides itself on being one of Europe’s leading contributors to the evolution of the life sciences sector and this impressive new building at Canary Wharf is a great example of how we are driving the development of innovative state-of-the-art lab buildings. By capitalising on our previous experience across Europe and our global connectivity we are excited to be a step closer in establishing a vertical science campus that will help London maintain its position as a leading global life sciences hub.”

Encouraging collaboration and innovation

One North Quay aims to set a new benchmark for high-performance, energy efficient lab towers, with a low-carbon strategy implemented across the development. This includes highly insulated and airtight building fabric, with an optimised façade focused on carbon reduction and sustainable practices.

Designed to form a stack of scientific neighborhoods with interconnecting communal spaces, this first-of-its-kind vertical campus aims to encourage collaboration and innovation. To help achieve this, One North Quay will comprise over 20,000 sq ft of amenities and common areas, including social and mixing spaces which will be situated throughout the spine of the building, as well as three designated ‘maker spaces’—dedicated collaborative workspace for making, learning, exploring and sharing of ideas and innovation utilizing high tech tools.

One North Quay’s rooftop terrace, complete with a bar and restaurant, as well as a ground floor café and informal seating area, will be available to customers, seamlessly integrating with the wider office community, and Canary Wharf’s significant retail, leisure and residential offering.

Over the last two years CWG and Kadans have grown the science, health and technology community at Canary Wharf and there are now more than 30 life science-focused tenants situated across the estate. This includes TC BioPharm, MHRA, UK Health Security Agency, NHS Transformation, The Cancer Awareness Trust, Genomics England, hVIVO, Barts Health NHS Trust, and AviadoBio.

Kadans’ London Innovation Centre, which provides lab and office space for early-stage life science, biology, and pharma organizations to gather, create, and innovate, has also attracted companies including IMU BioSciences, Tenpoint Therapeutics, Myricx Bio, Plasmidsaurus, and NaTurtle.

When combined with the offering that will be available at One North Quay, it means that businesses located across the Wharf can scale and relocate to different sized spaces as their needs change.