The Nightingale Associates' new building known as the 'Research Complex at Harwell' at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire has been officially handed over.

The project was born out of the UK Government's commitment to making the UK an especially attractive location in the world for research. Maintaining access to cutting-edge, large-scale facilities is a key element in ensuring that UK scientists remain at the forefront of research.

The £26m new-build project provides laboratory facilities for life, physical and laser scientists using the UK’s new synchrotron, Diamond Light Source, the ISIS neutron source and the Central Laser Facility (CLF).

The Research Complex at Harwell (RCaH) aims to provide a space where scientists from different disciplines, such as chemistry, biology and physics, can work together to make new discoveries, which frequently happens at the boundaries between the traditional scientific subjects.

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Nightingale's Architect and Team Leader from the Harwell studio, John Bleach, said: "Laboratory buildings in general use large amounts of energy since none of the conditioned and tempered air can be re-used.

"We and Hoare Lea were keen to demonstrate that significant energy reductions could be achieved in this type of building and STFC, being a huge energy consumer, has taken the opportunity to demonstrate that it is playing its part in the international effort to cut carbon emissions . STFC actually provide additional funds to pay for the Earth Tube and the monitoring equipment."

The Research Complex, like other Nightingale Associates and Hoare Lea projects, follows a philosophy of continuing innovation and sustainable building design. Among other energy-saving initiatives, some of the more notable features include a mechanical ventilation system which incorporates an underground 'earth tube' through which air is drawn to feed the air handling units.

Thermal interaction with the ground, at the walls of the earth tube, reduces the air temperature in the summer and increases it during the winter, reducing the net energy load required by the air handling units. Measuring equipment has been installed to enable the client to monitor the effectiveness of the system. This particular installation is thought to be one of the largest of its kind to have been installed with a lab building.

(GK/BMcC)