The construction works of Europe’s tallest and most technically sophisticated purpose-
built commercial lab building has started on site at Canary Wharf, London.
In a joint partnership, Canary Wharf Group (CWG) and Kadans Science Partner
(Kadans) are the companies developing One North Quay, an 823,000 sq ft vertical
campus, which is one of the biggest commercial developments to start in London the
current year.
One North Quay is set to supply London with best-in-class, purpose-built lab space that
will support an ecosystem of companies ranging from multi nationals to educational
establishments, and also growing, innovative life science and technology companies. It
therefore represents a significant and exciting snippet of London’s future as a major
international hub for science and innovation excellence, as it will be offering unmatched
amenities and opportunities for collaboration in the heart of one of the world’s most
dynamic urban environment.
Laboratory Spaces in the Building
A total of 60% of the building will be delivered as level 2 (CL2) wet laboratory space
and will have the capacity to accommodate up to level 3 laboratory containment (CL3),
which is an undersupplied type of space in the London life sciences sector. The
building will also have double height floors to support Good Manufacturing Practice
(cGMP) spaces, which are also in limited supply in the city of London and UK in
general.
Compared to other commercial life sciences buildings and science parks in the United
kingdom, architects KPF designed One North Quay as a 23-storey ‘vertical science
campus’ that contains flexible floor plates and future-proofed infrastructure that are able
to support technological advancements and modification across the sub-sectors and
enable occupiers to adapt their space or facilitate a seamless transition to larger
spaces without disrupting ongoing operations, something that is termed as unique in
the London market.
Located in the Canary Wharf, its strategic location also offers its esteemed customers
unmatched connectivity with some good transport links via the Elizabeth line, Jubilee
line and Docklands Light Rail (DLR), across London, and to Heathrow Airport and even
the London City Airport.
Shobi Khan, CEO of CWG, said: “One North Quay is a significant addition to the life
sciences, health, and tech community at Canary Wharf, delivering fit for purpose,
flexible lab space in London that offers a broad range of state-of-the-art facilities and
offerings to support an ecosystem of companies ranging from multi nationals to start-
ups, as well as educational establishments.
“The vertical campus will set a new precedent in terms of scale, technology, and
sustainability, and forms part of Canary Wharf’s ongoing 3.0 strategy in creating a
vibrant urban mixed use community which has 16.5 acres of green spaces and
waterside living, over 350 shops, restaurants and bars as well as a growing leisure and
amenities offering and a year-round events calendar.”
Michel Leemhuis, CEO of Kadans Science Partner, stated: “The life science sector has
been singled out by the UK’s new government as being a crucial partner for its
ambitious plans to deliver both positive change and economic growth, and we agree the
United Kingdom can keep maintaining its strong global leadership position.
“Kadans positions itself on being one of Europe’s leading contributors to the evolution
of the life sciences sector and this upcoming impressive new building at Canary Wharf
is a great example of how we are driving the development of innovative state-of-the-art
lab buildings. By capitalising on our previous experience across Europe and our global
connectivity we are excited to be a step closer in establishing a vertical science campus
that will help London maintain its position as a leading global life sciences hub.”
Facilities of the One North Quay
One North Quay’s rooftop terrace, complete with a bar and restaurant, as well as a
ground floor café and informal seating area, will be available to customers, seamlessly
integrating with the wider office community, and Canary Wharf’s significant retail,
leisure and residential offering.
One North Quay building aims to set a new benchmark for high-performance, energy
efficient lab towers, with a low-carbon strategy implemented across the development.
This includes highly insulated and airtight building fabric, with an optimized façade
focused on carbon reduction and sustainable practices.
Designed to form a stack of scientific neighborhoods with interconnecting communal
spaces, this first-of-its-kind vertical campus aims to encourage collaboration and
innovation.
To help achieve this, One North Quay will comprise over 20,000 sq ft of
amenities and common areas, including social and mixing spaces which will be situated
throughout the spine of the building, as well as three designated ‘maker spaces’ –
dedicated collaborative workspace for making, learning, exploring and sharing of ideas
and innovation utilising high tech tools.
Project Factsheet
Name: One North Quay
Location: Canary Wharf, London
Developer/Contractor: Canary Wharf Group (CWG) and Kadans Science Partner (Kadans)
Completion date: 2027
Building type: Industrial, Laboratory research facility
Size: 823,000sq ft
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