Construction has begun on the Quadram Institute, a major new innovation hub for the advancement of food and health research. Designed by the London office of NBBJ and located on the Norwich Research Park in Norfolk, the 13,900sqm centre will, for the first time, bring scientists, clinical researchers and a healthcare clinic together under one roof. The collaborative facility will be comprised of research teams from the Institute of Food Research, the University of East Anglia and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital’s gastrointestinal endoscopy facility. Together they will focus on four research themes: the gut microbiome, healthy ageing, food innovation and food safety. They will also work closely with the world-class plant and microbial research at the nearby John Innes Centre and bioinformatics expertise at The Genome Analysis Centre. The Quadram Institute will accommodate nearly 300 research scientists, as well as clinicians, support staff and clinical research participants; it will also treat approximately 40,000 outpatients per annum within its endoscopy clinic. NBBJ has designed a four-storey building that is sustainable, flexible and adaptable to future change. The spaces will be visually connected to promote a more social work-style with open lab space and open plan offices to encourage collaborative working and impromptu interaction. “The design of the Quadram Institute uses tested strategies to promote greater interaction, conversation and idea generation across and between departments. As a result, we believe the design of this facility will not only aid in the development of new food technologies and novel treatments, but will also cement Quadram’s standing as a national leader in biomedical research,” said Rebecca Mortimore, Science & Education Projects Director at NBBJ London. The design comprises two distinct buildings, connected by a large atrium and roof-light. Office accommodation is housed in a glass, daylight-filled space with terracotta sunshades facing south. Laboratory accommodation to the north is located in a brick-clad structure with windows to promote energy efficiency and to keep the labs at an optimum temperature. Long-format, handmade bricks reflect the natural qualities associated with local stonewall construction. “The solid brick volume takes its inspiration from traditional Norwich architecture and connects the building to its surroundings,” added Rebecca Mortimore. “Meanwhile, the dynamic and distinctly modern southern block is inspired by the research themes of the Quadram Institute, such as cell structures and genome sequences.” Shared and public facilities are housed in a glass entrance space and atrium that links the laboratory and office blocks and provides access to the endoscopy unit, which is nestled into the contours of the landscape. The shared facilities include a lecture theatre and staff restaurant which open onto a terrace overlooking the surrounding landscape. The building is orientated to take advantage of solar techniques to reduce energy consumption. The institute will open onto a future pedestrian boulevard that will become one of the main cross-campus links on the research park. Professor Ian Charles, Director of the Institute of Food Research said “There is a unique set of resources and expertise at the Norwich Research Park enabling the new Quadram Institute to be a world-leading innovation hub across our areas of interest, namely the gut, microbes, food and health. This is an exciting time to have the opportunity to be truly at the forefront of an emerging new discipline of health and food research. Recent understanding of how food and our gut flora interact is creating a fundamental shift in the way we will understand and address the impact of food on health. We will be engaged in fundamental and translational research, alongside clinical studies and endoscopy and our goal is to become recognised globally for research excellence and clinical expertise, and impact on patient care and outcomes”.