Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre

Uniting previously dispersed research groups, the The Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre (JCBC) is now home to the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute (CSCI), the Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease (CITIID), the Milner Therapeutics Institute, and the Cambridge Centre for Myelin Repair (CCMR), creating a highly concentrated hub of leading biomedical scientists.

This state-of-the-art 18,000 square meter facility has created a fully integrated centre of excellence, ideally crafted and situated to leverage the rich intellectual and clinical environment of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. The new centre is 6 storey in height with roof top plantrooms, extensive specialist laboratory spaces, world-class teaching facilities, and thoughtful public engagement space.

Close collaboration with the client and user groups allowed this project to successfully take an extremely valuable group of world-class researchers and position them in a state-of-the-art science facility that promotes dynamic intellectual collaboration and maximises the value of its fertile location.

Through this close collaboration and collected efforts from across all teams, this project was able to navigate a difficult site and used lean construction techniques to bring the project from drawing board to construction in the shortest timeframe, fast-tracked from design to site start in just 12 months.

The JCBC now stands as a beacon of innovation, embodying a forward-thinking vision for the future of science and research. This vibrant environment holds a distinct identity at the centre of Cambridge’s biomedical campus, and has played a key role in attracting top-tier talent, strengthening its competitiveness in securing research funding, and supporting the brilliant minds it houses in advancing scientific research.

With a meticulous degree of adaptable infrastructure and modular spaces, JCBC is prepared to continue to support these efforts as research groups change structure and as the field orients towards new advanced technology and methodologies. These extensive measures ensure that the building remains useful for its tenants, and stands as a future-proof investment for the university.

Additional to achieving BREEAM ‘Excellent’, the overall building life cycle has been considered from conception to eventual decommissioning. The ‘kit-of-parts’ approach and off-site manufacture techniques that were used to bring this building together reduced waste, personnel, and deliveries, which significantly reduced its overall carbon footprint during its construction.

Operational efficiency was optimised with extensive insulation measures, highly efficient ventilation systems, and the strategic orientation of outward facing windows to the surrounding landscape to reduce solar gains. The large-scale adaptability of the building increases the building’s lifespan and significantly reduces the material effort needed for refurbishment—an essential component to the more ‘invisible’ components of sustainable design practice.