Delivering the Rosalind Franklin Laboratory

The world drastically changed following the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rosaland Franklin Laboratory was a revolutionary building constructed to respond to the UK’s pressing need for more diagnostic testing facilities.

Located in Royal Leamington Spa, the Rosalind Franklin Laboratory is one of the largest diagnostic testing facilities in the world. Housed in a former industrial unit, this megalab was delivered in record time. Our experts led the design and used the latest engineering solutions to help compress the facility’s NEC4 programme from a typical two and half years to less than 12 months – enabling the UK Government to swiftly bolster its defences and better protect people against COVID-19.

Client

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)

Project Status

Completed

Location

Royal Leamington Spa, United Kingdom

Key achievements

Total laboratory space in sq ft

225,000

Facility NEC4 programme reduced to

<12 months

Redefining diagnostic facility design

The project was born out of necessity due to the pandemic, but with an eye on the future role diagnostics will play in medicine. The prime aim was to ensure this project was delivered to a world-class standard, while minimising its carbon footprint, and maximising speed and certainty of delivery. In addition to acting as principal designer, our specialist teams provided a wide variety of services, ranging from lab design and specialist building services, to planning and BIM coordination.

As well as delivering at pace, the design brief for an ultrahigh output lab set out several challenges. This included the incorporation of new diagnostic processes at the same time as creating the infrastructure to provide a safe, sustainable and productive space for those who would work at the facility, while the workforce was being formed.

Our Pharmaceutical Technical Director in WSP UK and Ireland, Helen Buckingham, says: “Compressing a programme from 30 months into a timeframe of less than a year is evidence that the traditional marathon approach to design needs to become a sprint. A strong rhythm of communication across the project team, and decision making, was essential to achieving this.”

Delivering at pace through collaboration

From the outset we sought to make use of offsite construction techniques and worked with Mace and HOK to develop innovative design solutions to support the fast-track delivery of the ultrahigh-throughput laboratory. Early engagement of the tier 1 contractor Balfour Beatty (BB) and their supply chain was crucial to ensure that the design was buildable at pace.

The key to successful delivery was the open and collaborative framework within the cross company multidisciplinary team, enabled by technologies such as BIM360 and Aconex. This meant that everybody was using the same model and collaborative space. The rhythm of communication was established to keep the shortest lines of cascade and streamline decision-making. This led to a very early design freeze, from which the supply chain could be engaged, and construction could begin.

Instead of following the usual linear project management process through design, procurement and construction, we had to manage these processes simultaneously. This included capturing the client brief, sketching concepts, freezing design, coordinating services and speaking to contractors and the supply chain.

Effective communication across the project team helped to maintain the ultra-fast delivery pace. We held twice-daily project meetings, and all team members signed up to a collaborative working charter. A design authority that was chaired by the client team was held twice a week. It was this set up that secured the client sign off and earliest possible design freeze. This, along with the use of digital project management platforms, helped to embed a culture of collaboration.

We used charrettes – short, intense design meetings where we sketched out ideas and implemented client feedback in real time, securing important decisions by the end of the session. Exploiting the latest digital approaches to collaborative design was also vital. But above all, embedding the right culture ensured success. To keep up the pace you need one team with a common goal, people who collaborate and are open – particularly to challenging others and to being challenged themselves.

Helen Buckingham Pharmaceutical Technical Director, WSP UK and Ireland

Helen Buckingham Pharmaceutical Technical Director, WSP UK and Ireland

Advancing the future of scientific capabilities

By redeveloping an existing building, we were able to limit the carbon footprint of the project compared to typical construction methods. The also demonstrates how the industry more broadly can creatively reuse and modernise complex buildings for scientific capabilities rather than demolish them.

The Rosalind Franklin Laboratory played an important role in pandemic preparedness, representing an investment in the UK’s future scientific capabilities. The laboratory offers a wide range of possible future applications, with key learnings shared with partners across the life sciences industry.

Disclaimer

The information presented in this case study is based on project records, delivery data, and the professional assessment of WSP UK and Ireland and its project teams. Timelines, performance outcomes, and technical solutions referenced reflect the specific conditions, requirements, and collaboration involved in this project. Client names, outcomes, and programme durations have been included with permission where applicable. For more details or verification, please contact us directly.