British Land and AustralianSuper have appointed Stanton Williams to draw up plans for a 300,000 sq ft building with potential to support innovation and life sciences businesses, as part of the second phase of their Canada Water masterplan, SE16.
The duo said Stanton Williams would deliver an ambitious scheme on a par with the Sainsbury Laboratory in Cambridge, for which it won the Stirling Prize.
The scheme will “consider” the potential to accommodate a range of complex scientific requirements, within a “highly sustainable” environment that “encourages interaction, maximises daylight and promotes wellbeing”.
The first phase of the masterplan, which is already under way, includes 30,000 sq ft of modular lab space in a scheme called the Paper Yard. It is due to complete in May and will have taken less than nine months to build.
The space is located next to TEDI-London, a new engineering higher education enterprise co-founded by King’s College London, Arizona State University and UNSW Sydney.
Emma Cariaga, joint head of Canada Water at British Land, said: “We have an incredibly rare opportunity at Canada Water to reimagine an entire district for London. Our vision is to create a diverse and exciting neighbourhood rooted in innovation – somewhere that businesses can be inspired to grow and where people will put down roots.
“Delivering up to 2.5m sq ft of highly sustainable business and innovation workspace across the masterplan, Canada Water is in prime position to cater to the growing number of life science and innovation businesses requiring new, high-specification lab space, supporting the aims of the government’s newly published Science and Technology Framework, which pinpoints these burgeoning sectors as a crucial driver of economic growth.”
Richard Wardle, director at Stanton Williams, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity to contribute to the creation of a vibrant and collaborative environment that will foster innovation and nurture a new sense of community in the heart of the post-industrial Southwark Docks.”
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