A £40 million development on the Harwell Campus in Oxford has reached a key project milestone.

The Rosalind Franklin Institute Hub building has been 'topped out', recognising the development reaching the highest point of construction. 
Members of Rosalind Franklin's family, and a group of young scientists from the Downs School, Compton helped mark the occasion, with the Franklin family laying the final piece at the top of the four storey construction. 

When it opens in early 2021, the new £40 million hub will be a national centre for life science technology development.


The Franklin was established to drive future advances in life sciences through developing cutting edge technology. The building is the heart of an Institute with members in Universities across the UK. Research already underway at member universities will eventually move into the completed building in Harwell.


The initial themes of the Franklin centre around the ability to see cells better than ever before: understanding their atomic and molecular composition, their detailed chemistry, and the way change occurs in their structure and behaviour over time. 


The building will house 200 scientists from around the UK and further afield working together to develop these new tools and technologies. The building contains highly specialised spaces, including the most electromagnetically stable space on earth, essential for developing new electron microscopes. 


The design team have also focussed on maximising useful space available for research. Early analysis of the design shows that the Franklin Hub will the most efficient research space in the UK, while keeping social, networking, and high quality working spaces.

Construction firm Mace is delivering the project alongside UKRI-STFC.


Terry Spraggett, Managing Director of Public Sector Construction at Mace, said: "The project is ahead of schedule, and has gone through the design phase in record time. We're pleased to be here and to celebrate the hard work of the build teams, and of the scientists who have worked together to design this unique building. We're excited for the next phase of the project."

(CM/MH)