Repurposing a historic mill to create a state-of-the-art research facility
A Project By: Oberlanders
Location: St Andrews, Scotland
Project Summary:
The repurposing and extension of a dilapidated mill for the University of St Andrews has created modern areas for research and education, centred around new product development for battery technology within the built environment. The new facility is a leader in the production of commercial-scale batteries and is a showcase for research in the vanguard of new batteries at the University.
Project Detail:
The Colin Vincent Centre for Battery Technology powers the next generation of batteries and energy storage through its state-of-the-art facilities including its ultra-low humidity environment, the first of its kind in Scotland and a significant advancement for the built environment.
Having successfully delivered a number of projects for the University, including the rebuild of the School of Biomolecular Sciences, Oberlanders were appointed to redevelop part of the University’s Eden Campus. The brief set out to create modern areas for research and education including laboratories centred around the development of battery technology, supporting innovation that directly influences the built environment. This involved the design of a new dry laboratory building and the refurbishment and repurposing of a dilapidated mill to house a rapid prototyping centre, electronics workshop and maker space alongside co-working space.
The project, which was part funded by the Tay Cities Deal, provides a state-of-the-art hub of innovation and entrepreneurship that will provide testing and development facilities for new technologies and the scale up of potential new solutions, strengthening research capability across the built environment. The project makes a significant contribution to advancing the transition towards a sustainable, low-carbon future.
A number of early stakeholder engagement sessions were critical to explore the research and user needs behind the new facilities.
Maximising space whilst retaining as much character as possible in ‘Building 1’ became the key driver behind the refurbishment, which presented unique challenges in being able to deliver the technical specifications required to define a clinical grade lab space. The solution was to celebrate the exposed brickwork and steelwork heritage within the social, collaboration and education spaces and contrast with new laboratories that met 21st century expectations, demonstrating how heritage assets can be reimagined within the built environment.
The design team faced several on-site challenges, including the unexpected discovery of culverts and the challenge of transforming dusty, damp areas into contemporary laboratory and workshop spaces.
The new build element of the project which required an ultra-low humidity environment, was the first of its kind in Scotland and involved working closely with a specialist supplier for humidity control.
The new facilities were delivered as part of a broader masterplan, with other design teams working on site to deliver further projects, redefine parking and create new access roads. This in addition to delivering in a live campus environment demanded multi-disciplinary phasing and coordination workshops to ensure that everyone worked holistically to deliver the project successfully and with minimal disruption to the campus’ business as usual.
The project has been successfully delivered on time and budget, resulting in a statement building the users can be proud of, also achieving a 25% uplift on standard environmental building regulations and setting a benchmark for future innovation across the built environment.
