Scott Brownrigg to contribute to 'Global Tech Cities' event this September

Image: courtesy of Scott Brownrigg showing its new gateway project at Cambridge Science Park.

Future Cities Forum is delighted that Scott Brownrigg's Project Director, Ross McWatt, will be contributing to our 'Global Tech Cities' discussion event this autumn at the Cambridge Science Park.

He has a leading role in the life sciences sector with over 20 years' experience as an architect. He has worked on projects within a wide range of sectors and now specialises in commercial and life sciences design.

Ross advises clients on sustainable and flexible design solutions in order to excel beyond regulatory and incentive targets whilst maximising value. Recent life science projects include Cambridge Science Park, Phase 2 Cambridge Biomedical Campus and Peterhouse Technology Park.

At Cambridge Science Park, the firm was briefed to create a new gateway to the site, the UK's first dedicated technology estate. It focused on attracting high tech and Research & Development companies to the Park, creating a brand new vision for Cambridge.

Scott Brownrigg states:

'Our two building design creates a flexible option for both single or multi-tenant occupancy – featuring a colonnade which sweeps across the front, echoing the curve of the spine road. The column spacing guides occupants and visitors to the entrance, with wider spaced columns emphasising the entrance area and denser columns protecting the office space. Highly glazed facades connect the working environment to the landscaped setting.

'The BREEAM Excellent rated design lays the entrance colonnade fins flat against the side elevations, creating the façade system. These are broken down into smaller masses to create a sense of rhythm, whilst enabling daylight to flood in to the office floors. As well as creating a new public realm space between the two buildings, our design gives transparency to the buildings and supports the sustainable agenda.'

At Peterhouse Technology Park, Scott Brownrigg says:

'Our brief was to consolidate 2,500 innovators into one holistic workplace for the technology company Arm. The new headquarters needed to support its continued growth as a global leader in the technology sector. 

'Our designs for the building form and cladding were inspired by the structure of silicon – the science behind integrated circuits. When an electron beam strikes crystalline silicon it produces a pattern of intersecting ‘Kikuchi’ bands. This pattern is incorporated throughout the building and every aspect of the project.

'The silicon structure has been used to inform the design of every detail of the building, from the external appearance of the shading fins, through to the atrium soffits and interior design, down to the bespoke door handles.

'Our design wraps the building in a delicate lattice of aluminium – diffusing the light, reducing energy loads and responding to the passage of the sun.'

Below: interior of ARM HQ on the Peterhouse Technology Park (courtesy Scott Brownrigg)