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Artist's impression - new laboratory building at Wallingford (r h partnership)
CEH’s Headquarters in Wallingford, Oxfordshire will see major infrastructure developments over the next two years with a number of new buildings and facilities being constructed.
Two major developments, a ‘GroDome’ (plant growth facility) and a suite of new laboratories housed in a new building, have recently been given planning permission by South Oxfordshire District Council. Both developments are a major part of the CEH’s current restructuring programme which runs from 2006 to 2010 and will cost around £50 million. The programme will help CEH achieve the organisation's vision of being the world leading centre for integrated science in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems.
The first development, the new plant growing facility or ‘GroDome’, will start construction this month and should be in operation by the end of 2008. This new facility will support CEH’s Science Programmes by allowing research scientists to cultivate a range of plants under strictly controlled conditions. A related new outdoor area will contain several ‘plunge-beds’ giving researchers the ability to manipulate water levels and examine subsequent impacts on aquatic plants and habitats.
Artist's impression - new laboratory building at Wallingford (r h partnership)
The second development, a major new laboratory building was given planning permission on 12 June 2008. Construction should begin in late 2008. The new building is an extension of the northern side of the existing Wallingford site and has a planned completion date in early 2010. The new laboratories will cover over 3000m squared and include a variety of cutting edge facilities to support CEH Science. The complex layout of the new building has been carefully designed by r h partnership architects in conjunction with CEH scientists over the last 12 months.
In common with the recent ‘Environment Centre Wales’ development at Bangor, which houses CEH’s staff in Wales and was opened in February by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the new laboratory building aims to be sustainable and comply with the highest environmental standards. It is hoped that the building will achieve the highest environmental assessment rating from the Building Research Establishment (BRE) for its design and construction elements. CEH’s parent body, the Natural Environment Research Council has allocated extra resources for environmental improvements.
GroDome interior
Professor Pat Nuttall, CEH Director said, “The developments at Wallingford are a key part of our current transition and integration programme. They represent a very considerable investment in the future of CEH and allow us to combine work from our core science programmes covering Water, Biodiversity and Biogeochemistry which all make data available through the new Environmental Information Data Centre. Achieving this integration will assist CEH’s scientists in advancing the frontiers of humankind’s knowledge of the natural environment and its underlying processes.”
The developments at Wallingford will complement the work already carried out at CEH’s sites at Bangor, Edinburgh and Lancaster where extra office, laboratory and archive space has been provided.
Additional information
Further information on the new developments at Wallingford - details of planning applications on South Oxfordshire District Council website (external links)
Further information on ‘GroDome’ facilities from Unigro (manufacturers of GroDomes) can be found here (external link)
r h partnership architects – Design of new laboratory at Wallingford (external link)
Official opening of Environment Centre Wales – CEH news article, 15 February 2008
Media enquiries about this work should be directed to the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Press office.
