The Stevenage Life Science Quarter is set to strengthen Stevenage’s growing reputation as a leading centre for life sciences in the UK, particularly in biopharmaceutical research. Price & Myers have provided structural, civil, and transport engineering services for this ambitious scheme, which will revitalise the town centre while delivering state-of-the-art facilities for the sector.
Its central location brings a series of challenges - from existing retail leases and neighbouring buildings to replacing a public car park and maintaining secure service access. The design also had to accommodate existing infrastructure while meeting the highly specific requirements of advanced research facilities.
At the heart of the development are the Specialist Lab and Grad Lab buildings, each designed around the needs of life science occupiers. While both share a common organisational framework, they differ in their intended use: the Specialist Labs are designed for single tenants, whereas the Grad Labs cater to multiple, often smaller or start-up companies. This distinction informs the buildings’ massing and layout, from public-facing retail and reception spaces to carefully located storage and service areas that ensure efficient operation and clear separation between public and private functions.
The upper floors house research and manufacturing spaces, supported by an interstitial level for service distribution and rooftop plant zones. The Collaboration Building shares similar lower-level arrangements but omits technical back-of-house areas to create more flexible, open spaces that encourage interaction among researchers, as well as additional retail space.
Our approach to materiality and sustainability ensures the project is both environmentally responsible and robust. High-quality, sustainable materials have been selected with a focus on reducing embodied carbon through efficient design, prefabrication, and standardisation. Reef, our client and an environmentally progressive developer, engaged us from the project’s earliest stages so we could collaborate closely with the architect during the initial massing studies - when decisions around grids and framing have the greatest impact - while carefully considering the needs of research and manufacturing laboratories.
A detailed drainage strategy was developed to suit the project’s phased construction while avoiding the diversion of existing 675mm and 225mm Thames Water sewers. The solution integrates a sedum roof, SuDS basin, swales, and below-ground attenuation tanks. We worked closely with the landscape team to manage site levels and ensure the existing surface water flow path through the centre did not increase flood risk to the new buildings.
We also prepared a Transport Statement and Travel Plan to address the reconfiguration of retail parking, replaced by a new multi-storey car park. Our team designed the associated Section 278/38 works, which include reversing access arrangements, introducing a toucan crossing, and providing a new bus stop.
The Stevenage Life Science Quarter represents a major step forward in creating spaces that support both scientific innovation and community growth. Our work has laid a strong technical foundation for that vision, balancing complex engineering challenges with sustainability goals. We continue to be involved as the project progresses from planning through to phased construction.
