New biomedical engineering centre gets planning green light

Alumnus and donor Michael Uren visits the site of the new biomedical engineering centre.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council has granted planning permission for construction of the Michael Uren Biomedical Engineering Research Hub.

The new 13-storey centre on Imperial College London’s White City Campus will provide flexible accommodation for translational research initiatives at the interface of biomedical sciences and engineering. It will house research laboratories, an outpatient clinic, a 150-seat auditorium and a series of social spaces to encourage informal exchange of ideas.

The new centre has been supported by an unprecedented £40 million gift from Imperial alumnus Michael Uren OBE and his Foundation: the most generous donation in the history of the College.

Graham Stark, who recently joined Imperial as Development Director for the White City Campus, said: “The Michael Uren Biomedical Engineering Research Hub will harness the expertise of our engineers, scientists and researchers under one roof – to drive forward medical technology and bring direct benefits to patients. We’re delighted to have planning permission and look forward to continuing to work with the Council, local community and colleagues as we realise this important step for our White City Campus.”

The building has a triangular plan which responds to the layout of the existing masterplan, while affording a highly flexible and efficient servicing strategy in which the laboratory and clinical spaces are served by interconnected facilities on each floor. A field of vertical fins is set in front of the glazed façades, providing solar shading and privacy to the interior while lending the building a dynamic and distinctive image.

The new centre is a key component of Imperial’s White City Campus, itself a major boost to the regeneration of the local area. Plans for the site’s first developments include publicly accessible green space, student accommodation, local retail facilities, and a pedestrian cycle route, alongside the creation of thousands of jobs.

Imperial’s plans for the Michael Uren Biomedical Engineering Research Hub went on display at a public exhibition onsite in November 2014, with members of the project team on hand to explain the proposals and to answer questions from visitors.