Member Article

Topping out celebrated at London's latest laboratories

Morgan Sindall Construction celebrated an important step in the creation of a new life science facility in London’s world-famous Knowledge Quarter with a topping out ceremony.

The tier one contractor’s London business was appointed by Kadans Science Partner to build 5-10 Brandon Road. The topping out ceremony, which took place on Thursday 25th May, marked the final structural beam being raised into place, completing the building’s frame.

The ceremony was attended by representatives from Morgan Sindall, Kadans, David Miller Architects, HDR Bradbrook, Hoare Lea, CB3 and PSK. Guests were given a tour of the site which ended on the roof, where speeches were given by James Sheppard, Managing Director at Kadans, and Richard Dobson, Area Director for London at Morgan Sindall Construction.

Following the speeches, a traditional trowel was presented to Kadans to mark the occasion and attendees were invited to sign the building’s concrete parapet.

When complete, the brand-new facility will provide dedicated and flexible life science and technology space for the needs of London’s fast-growing innovation and R&D market. It will help facilitate greater collaboration and growth between innovators, clinicians, researchers, and investors within sci-tech clusters in London and nationally.

The new five-storey, high specification building will contain Cat A laboratory and Cat A ancillary write up / office fit out, service yard, cycle parking, refuse and recycling facilities, associated landscaping, drainage, and statutory services.

Richard Dobson, Morgan Sindall Construction’s area director for London, said: “The topping out ceremony at Kadans’ Brandon Road site was a great opportunity to reflect on how this vital project will facilitate collaboration among world-class research and innovation organisations within London’s vibrant innovation cluster. This boost to the city’s life science sector will tackle the overwhelming demand for high specification lab space and ensure that research is translated rapidly into new products and technologies.

“By leveraging our team’s outstanding experience in successfully delivering complex projects in high profile locations across the capital, we have been working to create a sustainable, future-fit building which will enhance the UK’s reputation as a leader within the life science industry. Close, collaborative work with our project partners and supply chain has been central to creating a state-of-the-art development that will have a positive economic legacy through training and employment opportunities.”

Will Fogden, Kadans Science Partner’s Senior Development Manager (UK & Ireland), said: “5-10 Brandon Road will provide a unique stack of CL2 labs with manufacturing space and it’s exciting to reach this important milestone in the development process. From inception, the technical specification of the building has remained a central focus and coupled with the quality of design ensures this space responds to the industrial heritage of its surroundings. It is brilliant to see the building take shape and we look forward to welcoming a rich mix of tenants in Q2 2024.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by John Robson .