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Gensler to design £1.2bn Aviva-backed cancer hub

Aviva Capital Partners and mixed-use developer Socius have appointed architecture and design practice Gensler to lead the design of their £1.2bn cancer research and treatment campus in Sutton, south London.

The London Cancer Hub will consist of 1m sq ft of labs, R&D space, healthcare facilities and supporting accommodation.

Gensler has been appointed to the project team alongside Savills, which is advising on planning matters, and engineering consultancy Arup.

The new buildings will be set within landscaped green spaces and integrate with existing facilities on the five-hectare site, including the Institute of Cancer Research, Royal Marsden Hospital and the Innovation Gateway, which will provide incubator space for start-ups and spin-outs.

The design approach is to create “state-of-the-art facilities with an active ground floor” to showcase innovation and support local employment opportunities in science-based industries. The development will be designed to exceed sustainability standards and is targeting net zero carbon in operation.

It will be Gensler’s biggest science project in Europe. Previous projects include Cure, a healthcare innovation campus in New York; the IQHQ Research and Development District in San Diego, which is set to be the largest urban commercial waterfront site along California’s Pacific coast; and the US headquarters for Denmark-founded biotech company Genmab, in Princeton, New Jersey.

Daniel May, development director at Socius, said: “Gensler has an unrivalled track record in designing buildings and places for scientific discovery and we are excited to work with them as part of a world-class project team including Arup and Savills.

“There is a unique opportunity at the London Cancer Hub to create a vibrant ecosystem of labs, R&D space and healthcare facilities that will attract leading researchers and scientists from around the world to drive forward further progress in cancer treatment and diagnostics, as well as inspire those who live, work and study in the area.”

Sophie White, regeneration lead at Aviva, said the project will “advance the ambition to bolster the UK’s leading role in the global life sciences sector”.

Richard Harrison, co-managing director, principal at Gensler, said: “The site boasts a prestigious group of institutions, but we envisage a more connected and truly inclusive innovative district that will bring leading talent and businesses together to revolutionise cancer research and treatment.”

Image from FTI Consulting/Aviva Capital Partners/Socius

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