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Coldhams Lane

A new part of the city

A new kind of science destination for Cambridge. A place of community and texture where architecture blends into landscape.

 

 

Our masterplan for an open innovation district will allow science to be seen and celebrated, to inspire and benefit local communities,  With no formal edges, all of the buildings – from labs to cafes – will be experienced in the round in a landscape that is a continuation of existing neighbourhood routes.

 

The laboratory buildings are expressed as long ground-hugging masses that present a quietly confident presence. Alternating bands of rough textured concrete and ephemeral glass complement textures found in the landscape, and are a riposte to the many ‘shiny new labs’ proliferating across the city.

 

 

 

The phase 1 R&D laboratory building features a ground floor ‘veranda’. This is not just a lobby but an extension of the building into the landscape that enables a space for science-related programming and an upper level terrace for tenants. The main civic space, the ‘chalk plateau’, draws on Cambridge’s rich geology and is a space for hosting markets and performances.

‘The Mixer’ provides co-working and event space at a location along the cycleway. The building’s form references the plant of the former cement works on the wider site.  Planned to utilise reclaimed steel from another of our client’s buildings, this will be a pilot demonstration scheme for the circular economy.

 

 

A travel hub provides parking, electric charging infrastructure and end of journey facilities. It will be fronted with a ‘gallery’ of terraces and affordable workspaces fitted into an open frame steel framework. Finding a home here will be subsidised businesses who will feed the science ecosystem.

Project details

Project name: Coldhams Lane

Location: Cambridge, UK

Service: Environmental Intelligence

Value: £50M – £100M

Scope: Masterplanning, Architecture, Urban design

Clients: Mission Street

Status: Live

Completion date: 2028

Accreditation: Targeting minimum BREEAM Excellent

Project Manager: 3PM

Quantity Surveyor: CB3

MEP Engineers: Buro Happold

Sustainability: Element Four

Land and visual impact consultant: Bidwells

Landscape architect : Periscope

Structural and civil engineering: Ramboll

Planning consultant: Stantec

If you want to know more about our urban design and masterplanning work, contact Darryl Chen