The hub is part of Imperial College London’s White City Campus development

Translation&Innovation Hub Imperial College London White City Campus

Laing O’Rourke has handed over a £200m science building to Imperial College London.

The 187,400 sq ft Translation & Innovation Hub is located on the college’s under-development 25-acre White City Campus in West London.

Laing O’Rourke was appointed to construct the PLP-designed building in 2014. 

It houses laboratories, incubator and accelerator space as well as flexible office space and will provide a place for corporate partners, fast-growth companies, spin-outs, start-ups and entrepreneurs to work alongside Imperial academics to grow ideas and translate cutting-edge research into commercial applications. 

Fit-out works are also due to start shortly on the chemistry department’s Molecular Sciences Research Hub at the campus and construction works are to begin on the Michael Uren Biomedical Engineering Research Hub, while works are already underway on a residential tower to provide 192 apartments.

Masterplanning is underway for the rest of the campus site, with plans including further hubs for academic research, education and translation, community and commercial facilities, and housing.

Imperial College ThinkSpace chief executive Eulian Roberts said: “The handover of the hub marks the next exciting step in the development of the College’s White City Campus. 

“The Campus will be a centre for multidisciplinary research and innovation to help tackle some of the world’s most critical health, natural sciences, engineering and data challenges.  By bringing together businesses, entrepreneurs, academics and students, the Campus will create a new networked environment that will drive successful collaboration and experimentation.” 

The handover comes weeks after Laing O’Rourke also handed over the recently completed £650m Francis Crick Institute in Kings Cross, where over 1,000 scientists will undertake biomedical research.