Keele University - Central Science Laboratories

The new laboratories provides Keele University with additional world-class facilities and underpins the university’s ambitious growth plans in science teaching and research.

This £34m investment provides 5,300m2 of modern, co-located science laboratories and will greatly enhance the teaching provision and develop the next generation of highly employable science graduates. The project is a key part of a £42m investment in the University’s Faculty of Natural Science facilities. The new build Central Science Laboratories is a new four floor “state of the art” building providing teaching laboratories, IT provision and student social learning space. The entrance wraps around the existing Lennard Jones building at its north-east corner.

A four storey atrium provides natural light into key areas as well as providing an air plenum to the lab spaces. The atrium also serves as a visual connection to the Lennard Jones building providing view of the existing laboratories. Long span structural planks provide column free teaching areas thus enabling flexible teaching.

The building consists of the following:

Ground floor flexible dry laboratory (Forensics, Physics and Foundation Year) – This lab is a large open space comprising flexible reconfigurable space, fixed benching for set experiments and darkroom areas for light sensitive work.

Floor 1 Wet Laboratory (Chemistry, Pharmacy, Forensics and Foundation Year) – Floor 1 has a capacity of 128 split between into two zones designed to be able to teach all areas of chemistry.

Floor 2 Flexible Dry Laboratory – (Geography, Geology, Environment, Forensics, Life Sciences and Foundation Year) – The flexible dry lab seats 180 over two zones and is fully equipped with the latest microscopy as well as substantial rock stores, water and micro-fossil preparation and analysis areas. A further Wet Lab and Analytical Lab is included off the main flexible learning area with 2 fume cupboards and dry analytical space used by forensics.

Floor 3 – IT Laboratory and Open Teaching Space – This is a 168 seat pc suite dedicated to the IT needs of all science     subjects including foundation year, chemistry,  geography, geology, life science, maths, and computer science.

Acivico Clerk of Works team worked closely with GF Tomlinson, the appointed contractor.