Cambridge Research Park

The client

JLL, a leading property consultancy company acting on behalf of an international investment company, tasked us with the design and fit-out of one of their office spaces on the Cambridge Research Park.

The brief

We were to breathe new life into their former office unit in Cambridge Research Park, turning the 5,000 sq ft space into a CAT-A lab space and a CAT-A+ office space. Additionally, we were to redesign the tenant lobby area and uplift the common area WCs. 

Revitalising the Ground floor 

When redesigning the reception area, our design team introduced acoustic oat slats in the walls and ceilings to create a sleek and modern looking space. The green and neutral colour palette was chosen to highlight the lush greenery visible thought the floor to ceiling windows. The inclusion of a new tenant board also provided a new lease of life to the entrance space.  

This combination created a sleek yet welcoming reception area that could double as a communal touch-down point if needed.  

We uplifted the common area toilets by updating the vanity units to include new trough style sinks and black accessories. We also added a new coloured tile to the wall and decorated with some dark features to the walls.  

In addition to the work conducted on the ground floor, we worked on another client owned space on the first floor. Here we stripped out the space to bring it back to a CAT-A state after it had been enjoyed by the previous tenants. 

Future proofing on a budget  

To increase the longevity of the work carried out, our teams, working with the client, found ways to future proof the space. One the ways to achieve this was by installing new risers and put in HVAC provisions so that the lab space could be divided into separate spaces, depending on the tenant’s needs.  

A clean and fresh office space 

Functionality and adaptability were top of mind when designing the breakout space and meeting rooms. 

The meeting rooms feature a folding wall making it easy and effective to host a larger meeting or quickly downsize to smaller meetings if needed.   

A series of banks of desks / write up spaces were added to allow for focused work outside of the laboratory setting, providing a much-needed break away from the clinical setting.  

Our design team leaned on a neutral colour palette when creating this space so that it was the ideal functional yet blank canvas for a tenant to put their own stamp on. 

However, to still show how the space might look should the tenant prefer to inject more colour into their space, our designers decided to introduce a pop of green in the meeting rooms. This was also a gentle nod to the nature surrounding the location in Cambridge Research Park.  

Behind the scenes our mechanical and electrical team also managed the redesign of the existing ventilation system within the office areas, and the installation of four new heat recovery units within the lab spaces. This was in addition to installing a CAT 5 booster set, water heaters and waste pumps. 

Sustainable choices 

As the building where the client’s space was located had a BREEAM rating of “very good”, our team wanted to introduce sustainable furniture and finishes wherever possible. This included: 

• 100% recycled cotton sofa  
• Regenerated nylon yarn rug, made from recovered waste materials such as fishing nets and carpet yarn plus Ecobase backing which is 100% recyclable 
• Coffee table made from recycled plastics and 100% recyclable 
• Chairs made from 100% recycled polymers 
• Upholstered seat pad made from 100% post-consumer recycled polyester and Certified to EU Ecolabel and Indoor Advantage Gold  
• Table made from 100% recycled from yoghurt pots 

Breaking up the white space 

To tie in with the various black accents throughout the space, our design team decide to make the modern and bold decision to use black furniture in the lab.  

This was a conscious decision to move away from the standard white, clinical lab furniture and create a space that reflected outside of the box thinking.