The state-of-the-art laboratory and office facility, designed by NBBJ, is the first to be built as part of phase 2 of the rapidly expanding campus. It will enable the company to bring three existing Cambridge facilities – and over 450 staff – together when it relocates to CBC’s global healthcare village.
Andrew Carrington, managing director of Countryside, said: “We are delighted to mark this significant milestone as Cambridge Biomedical Campus continues to grow as a centre of excellence, which is home to world-class research, healthcare and innovation.
“Our priority for phase 2 of the campus masterplan was to create an environment that promotes and enhances communication and collaboration within the life sciences sector. Abcam’s arrival will strengthen the partnering and networking opportunities and ethos that already exist at CBC and which make it such a success. This environment will benefit not only those companies locating to the campus, but also demonstrate that Cambridge is the capital of UK life science, delivering new jobs and investment”.
Alan Hirzel, CEO Abcam, said: “We are making an investment in building our global HQ at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus because it’s important for us to be close to our local science and biomedical communities. Bringing the Abcam team together will improve our efficiency and innovation to better serve researchers and accelerate discovery in the life sciences. We look forward to bringing our enthusiastic team to this location in late 2018”.
Cambridge Biomedical Campus, located two miles south of the city centre, is home to a unique combination of world-class biomedical research, patient care and education on a single site. The 2,300,000 sq ft phase 1 extension to the campus has already been allocated to allow expansion for Cambridge University Hospitals Trust, The University of Cambridge, and the Medical Research Council’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology.
Construction of Abcam’s facility has been forward funded by Tesco Pension Fund and completion is expected in late 2018.
As part of a fast-growing and thriving campus, Abcam joins other big names such as AstraZeneca that are dedicated to world-class research, innovation and patient care. Construction for AstraZeneca’s new global research and development centre and corporate headquarters is already underway, as is the new Papworth Hospital, a state-of-the-art facility for patients requiring heart and lung treatment.
Malcolm Lowe-Lawri, Executive Director at Cambridge University Health Partners, who currently help to promote and manage the campus, said: “Abcam will be a fantastic addition to the Biomedical Campus as the site becomes a focal point for UK life sciences. Cambridge is well placed to develop the healthcare treatments of the future – we have the foundations in place to generate the ideas, products and revenue to deliver the future success of the UK. We have said it before but it is worth repeating – nowhere in the UK and rarely across the world do you find the unique set of opportunities we have in Cambridge.”
Bidwells and Savills acted for the joint developers of Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Liberty Property Trust and Countryside. John Miles & Company and Creative Places acted for Tesco Pension Fund.
Image (top): Ground-breaking with Andrew Carrington (Countryside); David Russell-Smith (Tesco Pension Fund); Katherine Parker (Tesco Pension Fund); Andrew Blevins (Liberty Property Trust).
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Image (above): Andrew Carrington (Countryside); Andrew Blevins (Liberty Property Trust); Alan Hirzel (Abcam); Jonathan Milner (Abcam); Anne Hoffman (Abcam)
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Cambridge Biomedical Campus / Liberty Property Trust / Countryside
Emma Molton / Francesca McCann
Camargue
T: +44 (0)207 636 7366
E: emolton@camargue.uk / fmccann@camargue.uk
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