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The John Garside Building, Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre

Manchester, England
Anshen + Allen

An open floor plan facilitates interdisciplinary research at an English laboratory.

The Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre (MIB), is an interfaculty initiative that will form a key part of the scientific strategy of the University of Manchester. It is generally recognized that biosciences in the 21st century are destined to make great advances. Achieving this will require expertise and input from a wide range of disciplines, including the physical sciences, engineering, math, and computation. The MIB concept was formulated to respond to and anticipate these challenges and has been specifically designed to foster a scientific culture in which there are no barriers among the disciplines, thus ensuring that the widest possible range of expertise and techniques can be brought to bear on important bioscience problems.

The John Garside Building, Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre
Photo © Daniel Hopkinson

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Anshen-UK-staff

Team
Dean Murphy and David Martin

MIB will house more than 500 scientists in up to 85 research groups. The focus is on promoting the highest standards in bioscience research, recognizing the importance of technology development in modern biology and on quantitative and integrative approaches that draw on skills, expertise, and instrumentation from the physical sciences, engineering, mathematics, and computer science.

The architecture of the facility reflects the interdisciplinary philosophy that underpins the MIB, featuring open-plan multifunctional laboratories and a wide range of high-tech facilities, as well as generously proportioned meeting and atrium areas. The atrium, meeting rooms and small discussion areas not included in the original brief form the main feature of the facility—a network of spaces which promotes cross-disciplinary collaboration in forming a truly interactive research community, in keeping with the primary client objectives.

The five-story building is split into a modular open lab block wrapped by a more free form office/support block. The void space between these two elements forms an atrium, around which write-up areas, meeting spaces, food service, display areas, elevators, and stairwells are clustered.

Located in the southwest quadrant of the University of Manchester campus, the new building forms the western edge of the campus and provides a major new landscaped entrance to the university.

Formal name of project: The John Garside Building, Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre

Location: Manchester, England

Gross square footage: 141,000 sq.ft.

Completion Date: February 2006

Total Construction Cost: $67,850,000

Owner: The University of Manchester

Architect:
Anshen + Allen
One Oliver’s Yard
City Road
London
EC1Y 1DT
+44 (0)20 7017 3100
+44 (0)20 7017 3101
www.anshen.com

 

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