The Sir Michael Uren Hub is a 13-storey building on the north side of the elevated A40 Westway in London, designed by

Allies and Morrison Allies and Morrison LLP is an architecture and urban planning practice based in London and Cambridge. Founded in 1984, the practice is now one of Britain's largest architectural firms. The practice's work ranges from architecture and interio ...

for the purpose of Imperial College's translational interdisciplinary and convergence science

biomedical engineering Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare applications (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic purposes). BME also integrates the logica ...

research. It contains a 160-seat auditorium,

social space A social space is physical or virtual space such as a social center, online social media, or other gathering place where people gather and interact. Some social spaces such as town squares or parks are public places; others such as pubs, we ...

cleanrooms A cleanroom or clean room is an engineered space that maintains a very low concentration of airborne particulates. It is well-isolated, well-controlled from contamination, and actively cleansed. Such rooms are commonly needed for scientifi ...

, and a whole host of unique experimental facilities. It is named for engineer Sir Michael Uren and built using his engineered cement substitute,

ground granulated blast furnace slag Ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS or GGBFS) is obtained by quenching molten iron slag (a by-product of iron and steel-making) from a blast furnace in water or steam, to produce a glassy, granular product that is then dried and ground in ...

(GGBS). It houses the Musculoskeletal Lab (MSk lab), the Musculoskeletal Medical Engineering Centre, Neurorehabilition and Neuroscience translational research, Imperial's Environmental Research Group, Cardiovascular research, and the Dementia Research Institute Centres.

Location

The Sir Michael Uren Hub is situated on

Wood Lane Wood Lane ( A219; formerly A40) is a street in London. It runs north from Shepherd's Bush, under the Westway (A40) past Wormwood Scrubs where it meets Scrubs Lane. The road is wholly in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham ( W12 posta ...

, Shepherd's Bush, London. To its north is a 34-storey tower, to its east is an incubator building, and to its south is an elevated section of the A40 Westway.

History

In 2014 Imperial College London announced that it was to build a biomedical engineering centre supported by a £40 million donation from Sir Micheal Uren and his foundation, at Imperial West, the College's 25-acre research and innovation campus in White City, west London. The purpose was to house Imperial's biomedical and healthcare researchers, engineers, scientists and clinicians, along with spin-out companies, in one building. Work on the site began in January 2017. It officially opened in December 2020.

Design

The 13-storey Hub was designed by architects

, and the project was managed by

Turner & Townsend Turner & Townsend (officially Turner & Townsend Partners LLP) is a multinational professional services company headquartered in Leeds, United Kingdom specialising in programme management, project management, cost management and consulting ac ...

, with mechanical and engineering consultants

Buro Happold Buro Happold Limited (previously ''BuroHappold Engineering'') is a British professional services firm that provides engineering consultancy, design, planning, project management, and consulting services for buildings, infrastructure, and the env ...

Autodesk Revit Autodesk Revit is a building information modeling software for architects, structural engineers, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineers, and contractors. The original software was developed by Charles River Software, founded in 1 ...

provided the

CAD software Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve c ...

, and the building was inspected by

Bureau Veritas Bureau Veritas is a French company specialized in testing, inspection and certification founded in 1828. It operates in a variety of sectors, including building and infrastructure (27% of revenue), agri-food and commodities (23% of revenue), mar ...

ISG Ltd ISG Ltd (formerly Interior Services Group) is a privately owned, London-based construction company that employed around 3,000 people, mainly in the UK, mainland Europe and the Middle East. In terms of Sales turnover, turnover, at one point it w ...

was the contractor.

Structural features

The building has a triangular base and covers 18,150 square metres. It has two long sides, covered in 1,300 GGBS containing four metre high vertical

precast concrete Precast concrete is a construction product produced by casting concrete in a reusable molding (process), mold or "form" which is then cured in a controlled environment, transported to the construction site and maneuvered into place; examples i ...

fins, of which there are nine types. GGBS, a waste by-product of

coal-fired power station A coal-fired power station or coal power plant is a thermal power station which burns coal to generate electricity. Worldwide there are about 2,500 coal-fired power stations, on average capable of generating a gigawatt each. They generate ...

s, was developed by Uren's company as a substitute for cement which produces a fraction of the carbon emissions. The fins act to shade from the sun. It contains a 160-seat auditorium,

, and a co-location space for research in medical technologies for patient benefit. It houses a large suite of core experimental facilities for use by the researchers and industrial partners, the Musculoskeletal Medical Engineering Centre, Neurorehabilitation and Neuroscience Research, two Dementia Research Institute Centres, the School of Public Health's Environmental Research Group led by

Frank Kelly Francis Kelly (28 December 1938 – 28 February 2016) was an Irish actor, singer and writer, whose career covered television, radio, theatre, music, screenwriting and film. He is best remembered for playing Father Jack Hackett in the Channel 4 ...

, the MSk Lab led by Justin Cobb and

Alison McGregor Alison Hazel McGregor is a British physiotherapist and biomedical engineer who is a professor at Imperial College London. Her research is focused on the musculoskeletal system and the mechanisms/impacts of injury. She has previously served as th ...

, the Centre for Cardiovascular Bioengineering, and 20 companies. Members of the

National Heart and Lung Institute The Faculty of Medicine is the academic centre for medical and clinical research and teaching at Imperial College London. It contains the Imperial College School of Medicine, which is the college's undergraduate medical school. History Medica ...

(NHLI) occupy space on the ninth floor.Zhongming, Zhu, Lu Linong, Yao Xiaona, Zhang Wangqiang, and Liu Wei
"NHLI moves into Sir Michael Uren Hub at White City."
(2021). It has space for functions and exhibitions in the main entrance, adjacent to the ground floor licensed facility. The auditorium and its foyer on the lower ground floor can be accessed via the main entrance and the research floors above can be accessed via secure entry. There are toilets on all floors.

Gallery

Michael Uren Building, White City, South-West Corner.jpg, South-West Corner Entrance passage, White City North Campus.jpg, Entrance passage Michael Uren and Innovation Hub buildings, White City, South Side.jpg, South Side White City North Campus over the Westway, Wood Lane.jpg, Adjacent buildings Entrance passage, White City North Campus at night.jpg, At night

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sir Michael Uren Hub Research institutes in London Engineering research institutes 2020 establishments in England Laboratories in the United Kingdom High-tech architecture Modern architecture in the United Kingdom