Unity Campus, Cambridge

Morgan Sindall Construction completed The Works on Unity Campus, the first phase of a new £100 million technology and R&D campus in Sawston, South Cambridge to attract businesses into the area.

Housed within the pre-cast concrete frame of the original building, the building provides modern office and lab accommodation, ideal for technology and R&D companies. The space includes a 100m full-height atrium, known as ‘The Street.’ Either side of this is flexible office and laboratory space, furnished breakout space, informal meeting areas and space to relax.

Key Stats

Value engineering exercise helped save £600,000 for the customer

Creation of modern space, whilst retaining an industrial look and feel

Flagship development for the £100 million technology and R&D campus in South Cambridge

At a Glance

Client

Howard Group

Budget

£18 million

Timing

60 weeks

Location

Sawston, Cambridge

Year

December 2019

Sector

Commercial

Our approach

The Works was the first development as part of Unity Campus, the Morgan Sindall Construction team worked hard to ensure that the project and its finish was to the highest standard as this site was to be used as an ongoing example to gain further planning permission for other areas of the development.

One of the requirements of the project was to keep an industrial look to the building. The client wanted to keep the ground floor concrete slab exposed as part of the design, however utilising this in its current form could lead to potential damp issues. The team researched a new product that could be used to retain this look, whilst ensuring its functionality. The team visited multiple sites to see the product in action, a self-smoothing resin and damp-proof membrane was installed that the client were thrilled with.

This project was delivered by the team in the

East

Social impact

Through their social value manager, Helen Clements, the team in the East have some great links with local schools and colleges in which to promote the value of careers in construction. One of these events was held at Sawston Village College, where primary school pupils from the area took part in a build your own home event, which was arranged in partnership with their teachers, the Morgan Sindall Construction team and Cambridge Launchpad. The event was a huge success, with many of the pupils not initially realising the range of skills that could be useful to a career in construction.