The new headquarters of UK Biobank, a £60m state-of-the-art laboratory and innovation hub at Manchester Science Park called Greenheys, recently celebrated an important milestone, ‘topping out’ the new building.
Greenheys will also be home to an accompanying hub for scaling businesses looking to collaborate with the large-scale biomedical database and research resource company.
The latest milestone marks a significant step forward for UK Biobank and Bruntwood SciTech - the joint venture between Bruntwood, L&G (Legal & General) and Greater Manchester Pension Fund (GMPF) – the UK’s largest property platform dedicated to the growth of the tech, innovation and science sectors. The new hub will provide much-needed, specialist laboratory and workspace in Manchester’s knowledge quarter within Europe’s largest clinical academic campus, and immediately neighbouring The University of Manchester.
Greenheys will provide 131,000 square feet of workspace across six floors, with spaces ranging from 2,500 sq ft bespoke suites to 22,000 sq ft whole floorplates, including specialist CL2 labs. Having reached this important milestone, the project is due to complete in summer 2026.
To mark the occasion, a ‘topping out’ ceremony was held by Bruntwood SciTech and Willmott Dixon, with senior leadership from Bruntwood SciTech’s partners Manchester City Council, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University all in attendance, alongside representatives from UK Biobank and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
UK Biobank is the world’s most comprehensive source of biomedical data available for health research in the public interest. Its laboratory space will boast cutting-edge facilities, including a latest-generation robotic freezer capable of storing and retrieving up to 20 million biological samples four times faster than current standards, revolutionising the pace of scientific discovery. The relocation will dramatically increase the speed at which UK Biobank can supply samples to researchers, allow for the storage of millions more samples as UK Biobank expands, and be more environmentally efficient.
In addition to UK Biobank’s new HQ, Greenheys has been designed to suit businesses operating across a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines, ranging from scale ups to large companies who are looking to grow and develop their product offerings. A number of advanced technical features have been incorporated, including increased vibration resistance, piped gas distribution systems and enhanced cooling and ventilation systems. Sustainability sits at the heart of the development which aims to be net zero in construction and operation for the communal areas, alongside aiming for EPC A and a BREEAM Excellent rating. The building will be fitted with a number of key energy efficiency features including air source heat pumps, ventilation heat recovery, smart controls and metering, LED lighting and roof mounted solar panels.
Professor Sir Rory Collins, Principal Investigator and Chief Executive of UK Biobank, said: “This Topping Out ceremony marks an exciting step in UK Biobank joining Manchester’s thriving life sciences community. Our move will allow us to grow existing links with the University of Manchester, which began more than 20 years ago, and forge new links with organisations spanning academia and the commercial sector.
“This new facility will accelerate the public health discoveries UK Biobank is already enabling, by allowing us to deliver the generously donated biological samples and health data from our half a million participants even faster to scientists. It is thanks to UKRI’s funding that we can build this new headquarters, working with Bruntwood SciTech and Willmott Dixon to create one of the first net zero laboratory spaces in the UK.”