ABOUT

With a rich history spanning over 125 years, The Fairhursts Design Group (FDG), is at the forefront of designing buildings for science. Its multi-discipline and award-winning team, which is spread across offices in Manchester, Southampton and Cambridge, delivers some of the most complex facilities in the UK. From research laboratories and educational facilities to pharmaceutical manufacturing plants and innovation hubs, FDG pushes boundaries with its creative, sustainable design solutions.

With thriving science parks dotted across the country, FDG enjoys working in partnership with a range of clients to deliver world class facilities to support the development of innovations and science that will benefit generations to come. Recent project highlights include:

• Confidential: The client commissioned FDG to design and manage a £20m fitout of an existing building. Strategically designed to cater to a diverse range of science companies, the scheme offers adaptable spaces that accommodate various business scales. From fully-equipped wet labs, and spanning bench-scale to self-contained wet and dry labs, to serviced shell and core suites for larger enterprises, the facility is poised to meet the dynamic needs of the scientific community.

• Discovery Park: This refurbishment project transformed two floors of building 500 adapting it from a single pharma user space to a multi tenanted facility to support STEM. The 5000sqm facility completed in 2023 provides a mixture of incubation suites as well as larger grow-on accommodation with associated support, office and collaboration zones alongside.

• Harwell Science and Innovation Campus: FDG’s latest project at the Harwell Campus sees the team continuing its work to support the development of this renowned science park. Current instructions include a feasibility study for the potential development of two sites which will further add to the variety of high quality, sustainable science accommodation available at this location.

• Alderley Park: FDG is proud to be working with Bruntwood SciTech on a number of commissions at Alderley Park in Cheshire. Projects include the extensive refurbishment of four legacy buildings to Cat A and Cat B standard. Each property now offers a mix of laboratory spaces alongside write up and breakout areas designed to appeal to life sciences and technology businesses of varying sizes.

• Apollo Buckingham Health Science Campus: Feasibility study and refurbishment programme at the Exercise and Sports Science facility. FDG designed a variety of teaching and training spaces for Clinical Education Services including podiatry treatment rooms, GP clinic and laboratories.

Each brief is met with the same detail driven approach born from active listening and intelligent questioning, which allows FDG to start every project with a deep understanding of the client’s unique goals, challenges and opportunities. This proven strategy ensures an ultra-tailored concept design that employs the most creative design solutions, incorporates the latest technologies and embeds sustainable building techniques to deliver exceptional results.

Key aspects of this approach include:

• Establishing KPI’s that will provide the governance to all design decisions.

• Creating a balanced response to a brief with potentially conflicting requirements, analyse common ground while acknowledging trade-offs.

• Commitment to excellence and value-driven, innovative solutions.

• Utilising Passive House principles and building physics to optimize design, energy efficiency, and carbon reduction.

• Adapting standard approaches to create a unique design response that represents good value to the client.

FDG’s commitment to excellence, innovation and value-driven design makes us an ideal partner for clients looking to establish world class science facilities in the UK and we look forward to working with many more UKSPA members in future.