Centrum opens for business in Norwich

Minister for Life Sciences George Freeman MP has opened Centrum, a landmark new building in Norwich Research Park that will enable businesses to interact with the best scientific and research minds in areas such as food, health, energy and the environment.

BDP designed the three storey building that offers high quality commercial offices and laboratories for growing science and IT businesses. The scheme also benefits from a business centre, with meeting areas and seminar rooms, and excellent restaurant, café and catering facilities.

Norwich Research Park is a centre of excellence in research for life and environmental sciences, employing 12,000 staff including over 3,000 scientists. BDP has also been responsible for a holistic masterplan, covering the entire park, offering a further 160,000 sqm of new accommodation.

Centrum is key to the realisation of the Norwich Research Park vision and its new masterplan, and is designed as the anchor point and catalyst for future development. The building was designed to achieve BREEAM Excellent, and features a mixed mode ventilation system and ground source heat pumps.

BDP was architect, civil and structural engineer, building services engineer, landscape architect, lighting designer and acoustic consultant for the £11.5m building. Morgan Sindall was the main contractor.