Impressive £32million university lab completed

Published: 16 August 2024 at 14:12

External view of The Lab building at ARU Peterborough

New ARU Peterborough building includes an innovative ‘Living Lab’ space

Construction of ARU Peterborough’s new £32million Lab building, which incorporates a Living Lab to be used by the community as well as students, has been completed.

The Lab, which is situated adjacent to the existing University House building on Bishop’s Road in the city, will support students and apprentices studying mainly in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) fields. This will help to further increase higher skills in the city and region, supporting local growth and investment.

The on-time delivery has been thanks to partnership working between project partners and funders Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority and Peterborough City Council and represents another milestone in the development of the campus.

The Lab building includes a microbiology lab, tissue culture lab, a range of engineering workshops and other high quality teaching spaces. The Living Lab element will feature exhibits and events and will aim to inspire people into learning more about STEM, including through ARU Peterborough’s curriculum and courses. It will also link with local libraries, museums and arts venues to create a cultural hub for the city and region.

The new building, designed by MCW Architects, has been constructed by Morgan Sindall Construction to high environmental standards. It has been certified Excellent by BREEAM, the world-recognised standard used to measure the sustainability of buildings, and approximately 89 tonnes of CO2 emissions were saved during construction – the equivalent of heating 133 homes for a year.

The construction site was completely diesel-free, reducing carbon dioxide emissions and benefiting air quality in the local area.

Funding for the new building was largely contributed by the Government, with Peterborough City Council donating land, and ARU and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority also contributing significant sums.

Professor Ross Renton, Principal of ARU Peterborough, said:

“We are thrilled to be able to open this innovative new building for the start of the 2024/25 academic year in September. Tremendous care has been taken in the design and construction phase to ensure maximum benefit for students and the community. These are some of the newest university facilities in the country. Thank you to all our partners and contractors for helping to deliver this inspirational project.”

The Lab will be ready for ARU Peterborough’s annual community day tomorrow (Saturday, 17 August), where members of the public can explore the new building.

Professor Renton added:

“It is right that the community of Peterborough gets the first look at the new building. ARU Peterborough is a partnership with the community and with industry, and the new building will enable those collaborations to be strengthened in the coming years.”

Deputy Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Councillor Anna Smith, said:

“I’ve been following the construction of this amazing building with interest, and it’s wonderful to see it finished. It’s a fantastic addition to the campus – a state-of -the-art facility with the opportunities for high-quality learning at the heart of the design.

“As a former teacher and school leader, I’m especially excited to see how the The Living Lab will bring the community closer to the campus, inspiring current and future generations in science and technology.

“Collaboration is at the heart of the Combined Authority under Mayor Nik, and I want to congratulate to everyone at the Combined Authority, ARU, and Peterborough City Council, who have once again successfully worked together, to help fund and deliver this build on time.”

Councillor Nick Thulbourn, cabinet member for regeneration at Peterborough City Council, said:

"Our city's university is growing and becoming more established and renowned year by year. The launch of the Living Lab is an important step as this will not only benefit students, but thousands of residents and visitors – young and old – who have an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

"It will be a cultural landmark for our city and will help to play a strong part in cultivating the next phase of STEM experts in Peterborough – industries that provide better paid jobs and will help to boost our overall skills and economy."

Jamie Shearman, Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction in Cambridgeshire, said:

“We’re hugely excited to see the doors open at ARU Peterborough’s Lab building, as this high-quality teaching space in the heart of the city will create a wealth of opportunities for students and the community to learn advanced new skills. This will bring positive benefits not only for local learners and residents, but also for the region’s economy.

“The collaborative relationship we’ve developed with Anglia Ruskin University, Peterborough City Council and the Pagabo framework has been central to the project and ensuring that this new facility delivers on its educational, sustainable and social value goals.”

ARU Peterborough is a partnership between Anglia Ruskin University, Peterborough City Council and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.