UCL Cancer Institute

The internal layout follows a new approach to the design of research laboratories. It separates the practical laboratory from the write-up area, to create a distinct space for analysing and sharing information.

The write-up spaces which run the length of the Huntley Street elevation are the architectural focus of each floor and are divided from the laboratories by a combination of American cherry veneered acoustic panelling and glazed panels and doors.

The glazed elements have sand-blasted fritting to provide a degree of privacy between the two areas, while still allowing natural light to penetrate into the heart of the laboratories.

Images of cells, wave patterns and the chromosome permeate the forms of the building. For example, the terracotta louvre-bank suspended across the main façade has a rhythm that can be read as a vertical 'bar code' configuration or genetic sequence image; but also reflect the waveform that is so significant to modern science.

Likewise, concrete soffits are left exposed, retaining the details of their own construction and revealing points of reinforcement.