AstraZeneca has unveiled plans for a new £330m global research and development centre and corporate headquarters at Cambridge Biomedical Campus, just two months after US rival Pfizer’s takeover attempt.
The new HQ will house AstraZeneca’s biologics research and protein engineering, which is carried out by MedImmune, the pharmaceutical company’s biologics arm. MedImmune currently employs about 500 staff at Granta Park, south-east of the city, who will relocate to the new site.
The HQ building, designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron, is expected to be completed by the end of 2016. About 70 AstraZeneca staff have already relocated to interim facilities at the Melbourn Science Park, Cambridge Science Park and Granta Park. Some 300-400 AstraZeneca staff will have relocated to Cambridge by the end of 2014.
The company is seeking BREEAM Excellent status for the site, which will feature the biggest ground-source heat pump in Europe. Herzog & de Meuron has designed a low-rise development with a central courtyard that will “reflect the colleges of Cambridge University”.
AstraZeneca launched a public consultation on the designs on 18 July, and aims to lodge a planning application in the autumn.
sophia.furber@estatesgazette.com
