The world of science and research requires high-tech, future-proofed spaces that meet the demands of an ever-evolving industry. It’s all about designing and building places that go beyond what we can imagine today – positive legacies that empower scientists, doctors and students to do their best work.
Bringing experience from all sectors
With a foundation built on innovation and collaboration, we encourage our people to think differently so we can deliver even smarter environments. We want to design and build unique spaces where revolutionary discoveries are made and that inspire new understanding, and genuinely treasure the work we do with world-leading universities, global pharmaceutical companies and the world’s most technically advanced laboratories – regardless of size and complexity.
Flexibility nurtures creativity
The ongoing advancement of technology and medical science means that spaces need to be flexible and dynamic to the needs of the sector – the spaces we create today will often house technology and practices that haven’t even been invented yet. Whether it’s a complex laboratory fit-out, live building refurbishment or one of Europe’s largest research facility construction builds, we revel in creating inspirational environments of discovery. Our bespoke approach enables us to deliver high-tech, adaptable spaces that flex to a changeable world, and attract the very best talent science and health has to offer.
The life and work of Imperial College alumnus, Sir Michael Uren, is transforming life-changing research at his former university, and the lives of generations to come.
Sir Michael Uren, Sir Michael Uren Hub, Imperial College London, UK
Understanding need
Our specialist team is made up of experts with unrivalled knowledge in the science and research field – this means we understand the lifecycle of complex environments such as pharmaceutical and research hubs. We work with world leaders from bio-medical, genetics and chronic disease, and together we manage risk, cost and certainty according to the critical infrastructure they need – by working collaboratively, we’re able to deliver smart, energy efficient, flexible spaces.
The spaces we’re creating will also save and improve lives for years to come. We are working with University College London (UCL) on its new £160m home for Neuroscience, enabling it to pioneer world-leading testing and treatment on neurological illnesses through our ‘bench to bedside’ approach, which creates places that boost productivity, where faculty, researchers, clinicians and students can work and learn together.
“We are pleased to have appointed ISG to work with us to deliver a very special building that sits within our Estates Transformation programme, creating a new research and clinical environment for neurological diseases, where patients, clinicians and academics can come together in a state of the art, collaborative, combined facility for the first time.”
Kevin Argent, deputy director of UCL Estates and director of Estates Development
Flexible, collaborative spaces that nurture creativity
For science and research, demand is expanding at a faster rate than developers can build, particularly in and around the ‘golden triangle’ of Oxford, Cambridge and London, where life sciences clusters have grown around anchor institutions, including universities and hospitals. This has seen a rise in demand for retrofit and re-use, showing the possibilities of breathing new life into existing building stock.
Sycamore House, located on the Stevenage Bioscience Campus, is the innovation hub for life sciences and cell and gene therapy. Sub-divisible laboratory and office spaces co-exist with vibrant, communal areas and the effect is of a multi-tenanted building that feels light, open and genuinely collaborative, encouraging interaction between neighbouring start-up companies.
Adaptive re-use from office to labs to meet unmet needs
We are delivering the first major phase of plans to redevelop London’s Regent Quarter near King’s Cross into a life sciences-led campus. The scheme represents one of the UK’s largest life science conversion projects and creates significant opportunity to deliver wider social value benefits as we work with local stakeholders and Islington Council to maximise this investment potential.Advancements in buildings mean advancements in science
By applying cutting-edge clean room technology, we create award-winning Class 1, 2 and 3 containment spaces for world-leading pharma, research and academic clients, such as Imperial College London’s (ICL) BREEAM-recognised Molecular Sciences Research Hub. The hub, originally designed as an office space, was transformed with a 242-seater lecture hall, open plan laboratories over six floors, a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) suite in the basement, and a suite of laser and low electric noise laboratories. This represents just one of 30 complex refurbishments or smaller fit out projects we have delivered for ICL.
At the world’s leading researcher in nanoelectrics, Imec, we are combining exemplar methods of construction delivery principles with digitalisation and platform design for manufacture and assembly to transform the client’s world-leading research and innovation hub in Belgium into an ultra-cleanroom advanced semiconductor facility.