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UCL Institute of Neurology

London, UK

The UCL Institute of Neurology is a world-leading centre of research and teaching excellence in neurology. º£½ÇÊÓƵ worked with the institution to help realise a cutting edge new facility at Gray’s Inn Road, London.

The landmark building will bring together research scientists, clinicians and patients with the aim of accelerating the discovery of treatments for neurological conditions, including dementia – for which there is still no known cure.

The project will create a unified home for UCL’s postgraduate research facility, the Institute of Neurology, the UK Dementia Research Institute’s Headquarters, and its NHS partner to provide the most comprehensive, co-ordinated neuroscience research centre in the world; from precision laboratory research to patient care.

UCL Institute of Neurology will house up to 1,000 scientists, clinicians and patients and enable advances in cutting edge dementia research.

As well as seven floors of shared lab spaces, consulting rooms and collaboration areas, the building will host an MRI suite with five scanners and a 220-seat lecture theatre.

We delivered fire engineering expertise within the design team, creating a series of critical fire evacuation strategies.

º£½ÇÊÓƵ was also appointed by UCL to provide a Client Advisor role during the Stage 4 design and construction.

Challenge

The facilities will create a shared, open and collaborative environment for neuroscience researchers and medics. The new site will also incorporate space for public engagement, allowing connection to communities and shared progress in finding better ways to diagnose, treat and prevent dementia.

The state-of-the-art facilities, which are due to open in 2025, will be home to three bodies: the world leading UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology; the headquarters of the UK Dementia Research Institute, which is the single biggest investment the UK has ever made in dementia; and the UCLH National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN), which is the UK’s largest dedicated neurological and neurosurgical hospital.

The facility will house up to 1,000 scientists, clinicians and patients and enable advances to translate from lab bench to bedside. As well as seven floors of shared laboratories, workspaces, consulting rooms and collaboration spaces for scientists and support teams, the building will host an MRI suite with five scanners, a 220-seat lecture theatre and a range of shared core facilities, equipment and technology platforms including microscopy, transcriptomics and tissue processing to encourage new ways of working, collaboration and knowledge-exchange.

The sustainable design, by architects Hawkins/Brown, also contains a variety of open and green spaces, including areas that the public can access, such as a café.

º£½ÇÊÓƵ was engaged to deliver fire engineering expertise within the design team. Our fire engineers were subsequently novated to the Contractor at Stage 4. The sheer complexity of the building’s different functions and differing user groups meant fire strategies had to be carefully considered and a range of fire engineering innovations adopted – including incorporating full sprinkler systems throughout.

º£½ÇÊÓƵ was also appointed by UCL to provide a Client Advisor role during the Stage 4 design and construction. This included structural, geotechnical and civil engineering services and involved our specialist structural vibration team.

Solution

Our fire safety engineering team had to work within two sets of fire safety guidance within the same building – for both laboratories/office spaces and for healthcare facilities.

Fire evacuation strategies for a healthcare environment involve planning horizontal movements of patients to safe spaces within other parts of the building, mitigating against taking vulnerable patients outside, except for in the most extreme emergency scenarios.

Due to the MRI suite being located below ground level, the fire strategy needed to account for patient access to the basement areas, including the incorporation of evacuation via lifts.

In order to maintain the future adaptability of the site, all research spaces were brought up to the levels of the most stringent fire safety protocols, allowing for future flexibility in the laboratories to office ratio.

While sprinkler protection was provided throughout the premises for life safety and protection purposes, the fire strategy also incorporated the use of pre-action sprinklers for technical and scientific assets in the research laboratories, significantly reducing the risk of accidental discharge or leaks within these critical areas.

º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s Client Advisor team of experts monitored the development of the final Stage 4 to ensure the design was compliant with the Client’s brief and Employers Requirements. Using our wealth of knowledge and expertise designing academic and laboratory buildings for UCL and academic institutions globally, we were able to critically evaluate the design and provide recommendations to the Contractor and design team to retain design quality, ensuring strict compliance with the technically challenging brief and ensuring the Client received best value for their investment. Our advice also included guidance on key changes to the design as well as advising on the impacts of any proposed value engineering.

The brief called for a design that met onerous floor vibration performance for MRI scanners and precision laboratory equipment. º£½ÇÊÓƵ has undertaken detailed assessment of the structural design to ensure strict compliance with the brief.

The scheme also involved the repurposing of the neighbouring nineteenth century Alexandra Wing, retained from the original Royal Free Hospital.

º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s ground engineering specialists monitored the design and construction of the basement to ensure damage to the listed and heritage buildings was controlled.

Value

Our technical work, summarised in reports and presentations, provided in-depth technical commentary alongside executive summaries that enabled informed client decision-making at all levels.

With critical interventions in the design from our fire safety experts, as well as our Client Advisor role during construction, º£½ÇÊÓƵ played a key part in the successful realisation of this landmark facility.