People + Environment + Adaptability

Mark Kelly, Woods Bagot

The paper will consider the major design and business drivers behind current European and Middle East Laboratory Projects by the following institutions:

• Queen Mary University
• University College London
• Sanger Institute
• Imperial College
• Qatar Science and Technology Park

The projects will be considered in the context of a period of significant inward investment into the medical research environment in the UK and Europe following an extended period of under-investment. Whilst starting with a general overview of trends in the UK and Europe the paper will conclude with a presentation of Woods Bagot's recent medical research project at the Qatar Science and Technology Park for the Qatar Foundation.

Institutions must provide current and contemporary environments to attract and retain an increasingly mobile research resource, from aggressive competitors. These competitors comprise other universities, states and even countries. Scientists and academics will naturally move towards the best research environments manned by the best research teams.

Energy use and security have received additional focus as nations endeavor to create environments that protect valuable resources and minimize risk of theft or loss of critical IP and dangerous products.

Flexible and adaptable environments are being established that are attractive to the new research resource within transparent non-hierarchical structures. The key factor is to get people to interact, share and cross-pollinate.

In the workplace of the future we see an environment where equipment is getting smaller whilst able to store higher amounts of information. In the not too distant future intelligent machines and nano-robots will handle many of the labour intense and dangerous tasks.

The Qatar Science and Technology Project is at the early construction stage and has been designed to incorporate much contemporary thinking and set a global benchmark for a new flexible medical research environment. The project although contemporary and internationally benchmarked is designed to respond and inter-act with the local Qatar context to feel at one with its location.

Labs21 Connection:

thought.design

We start with the client
Understand your brand, vision and culture
What influences your decisions -people, landscape, needs, desires
It's a matrix of environment, sensitivity, tact and intellect

That is thought

Thought is realised in design
Giving inspiration to create your space
Which works for you

Thought becomes reality
becomes design

Our vision is a future with
no boundaries.

No boundaries to who we design for
- people, communities, investors, businesses, governments, developers, institutions
No limits to the time we will spend to ensure success
- we work around the clock
No borders we will not cross
- our international network allows us to provide services anywhere around the globe

Our Future

No restrictions to our creativity
- we continually seek solutions that are both functional and inspiring
No confines to achieving award-winning standards
- we apply expert knowledge and set global benchmarks
No barriers to how we strive for excellence
- to physically realise your company vision and objectives

There our no boundaries to our vision.

Biography:

Mark Kelly joined Woods Bagot in 1989 having studied at the University of Edinburgh. He has worked in Darwin, Sydney, Melbourne, and London. Mark has taken the roles of Design Director and Group Managing Partner, and is currently leading the Specialized Buildings Design Team and is Director of Sustainability for the Group. He presently resides in the Melbourne Australia, having recently returned from a four year period in Europe heading up the London Office. Mark is a highly acclaimed designer and has won several awards in design competitions. His work has been exhibited at the Royal Academy of London and has been the recipient of several Energy Efficiency Awards in Australia for corporate, education and research projects.

Mark has specialized in the design of highly serviced facilities for university and research and corporate clients. He has designed and delivered many research projects during a 20 year career. More recently his focus has moved to the sustainability of the final outcome which comes from the inter-relationship between the design and the final operation of the facility.

"Challenging and striving for design excellence is at the centre of Woods Bagot's culture. No matter what type of project we are working on, we are continually striving to develop inspirational designs that are functional, lasting and admired by both the occupants and the wider community."

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