Design for new research facility embodies collaborative energy and technical excellence

The Whittle Laboratory, a striking new building at the gateway to the University of Cambridge’s Cambridge West Innovation District, was officially opened on 20th July at by His Majesty King Charles III. Designed and delivered by Grimshaw with Smith and Wallwork, Max Fordham, SWECO, SDC, and RHP, the laboratory is a research facility that brings together researchers, students, industry partners, and entrepreneurs around a shared mission: to transform the speed at which new propulsion and power technologies move from research to real-world application.

The expansion of the original 1970s Whittle Laboratory, named to commemorate co-creator of the turbojet engine Sir Frank Whittle, encompasses the Bennett Innovation Lab and the UK National Centre for Propulsion and Power. Sitting at the entrance to the innovation district, the building’s façade is made from durable, sleek metal coffered panels that reference the laboratory's aero-industrial function. 

Entering through a colonnade, students, researchers, and visitors are led directly into the atrium, a warm and active community space supports informal presentations and gatherings. Familiar elements from the original laboratory have been reinterpreted for a new generation of researchers. The Whittle ‘Tea Table’, associated with the facility’s culture of collaborative innovation, has been restored, while courtyard and terrace gardens support formal and informal dialogue. Cellular offices and innovation spaces on the upper levels are suited to deep focus work. Beyond the atrium are prototype fabrication workshops designed to host the teams and equipment needed to develop ideas at speed. The design uses the Energy Cost Matrix, developed by Sir David MacKay, to prioritise whole-life energy minimisation, operational efficiency, and long-term adaptability. 

Neven Sidor, fellow at Grimshaw, stated: “Working with the Whittle team has been a unique privilege. They challenged us to retain the spirit of their much-loved original building while delivering something bold, future-facing and unmistakably theirs. The result is a space that embodies the collaborative energy and technical excellence that defines Cambridge engineering.”

Lucy Nordberg
Tenderstream Head of Research

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