The Building

The Research Complex has space on two levels to accommodate a maximum of 150 people. Apart from the offices and laboratories the building has various communal areas including a café area and breakout spaces to encourage interaction and collaboration.

Environmental issues have not been forgotten as energy use will be carefully monitored. An innovative approach to managing the internal environment has been developed by the engineers. The Earth Tube is 100m long and will be buried under a grassy mound next to the Complex. Air will be sucked through the tunnel and because the temperature below ground is relatively stable it will cool the air by up to 5oC in summer and warm it by up to 4oC in winter. This will help reduce energy use.