Science meets architecture at the National Graphene Institute in Manchester
One doesn't have to look too far beneath the compact, modern façade of the new £61m National Graphene Institute to discover a thoughtful expression of the ideal that education and scientific research should be an open, transparent process.
Occupying a corner plot on the University of Manchester's science quarter (where graphene was first isolated in 2004, earning its founders the Nobel Prize in Physics six years later), the five-storey building was designed by London- and Prague-based Jestico + Whiles, while CH2M Hill helmed the design for the specialist labs.
The institute's ambitious goal to be a world-class research and incubator centre dedicated to the development of graphene - made from a single layer of atom carbons, the world's thinnest material is 200 times stronger than steel - is subtly and cleverly telegraphed on its double-layered facade. To wit, the inner layer is clad with weather- and thermal-proofed cladding, while an outer layer is constructed from 1,875 black mirror stainless steel panels, each of which contains thousands of perforations that make up the equations used in graphene research.
To achieve optimal vibration conditions, the main clean room is built into a lower ground floor, but rather than hide machinery and personnel in an artificially lit, enclosed bunker, the architects have cut through the side elevation to angle the ceiling upwards so that from the east-side street level, the public can look directly into the naturally-lit room and literally observe the ground-breaking work being done.
This unusual sense of openness is paired with a bent towards freewheeling creativity. Internal lab walls, for instance, are covered with black PVC that, with special chalk pens, double as blackboards.
Given the importance of the research project, the institute is, at around 8,000 sq m, relatively compact, but the space is well-used not least for its comprehensive suite of laser, optical, metrology and chemical labs, offices, a second clean room, and seminar room that opens onto a roof terrace and garden of grass and wildflowers.
INFORMATION
Photography: Hufton + Crow
ADDRESS
The University of Manchester
Booth St E
Manchester M13 9PL
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
-
Feel at home at Auberge, Château La Coste's new inn for culture lovers
Auberge La Coste sits at the heart of the art-filled estate, minutes away from the joyful town of Aix-en-Provence
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
This Nova Lima apartment is a Brazilian family oasis with striking Minas Gerais views
A Nova Lima apartment designed by Jacobsen Arquitetura celebrates its long, natural Minas Gerais vistas
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
Tour the Natural History Museum’s new gardens, a Jurassic lark in London
The Natural History Museum in London has unveiled two new gardens, with resident dinosaurs, after a transformation led by architects Feilden Fowles
By Bridget Downing Published
-
Drama Republic moves into a colourful, handcrafted workspace in London
For the new creative HQ of production company Drama Republic, Emil Eve Architects remodels a warehouse into office space in London’s Holborn
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Hideaway House in London features timber panelling inspired by the New York hospitality scene
The elegantly refurbished Hideaway House by Studio McW in London features timber panelling inspired by Philip Johnson’s The Four Seasons Restaurant
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
‘Modern Buildings’ tours south-east London through a guide to post-war Blackheath and Greenwich
‘Modern Buildings: Blackheath and Greenwich’ is a detailed survey of a London borough’s rich trove of new modernist architecture
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Triangle House invites you to its inner world of colourful surprises
Triangle House by Artefact is a private home in Epsom, outside London, combining Caribbean style, colour and functionality
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Tour the refreshed Saint Andrew Holborn: an icon reveals its crisp new interior in London
DaeWha Kang reimagines Saint Andrew Holborn church through a sensitive architectural solution that blends tradition and modernity in London
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A Suffolk house by Studio Bark pairs a fresh visual language with low-energy design
Suffolk house Water Farm is off-the-grid but defiantly on the map, a bold new object in the landscape with a strong visual impact and minimal carbon footprint
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Westminster Coroner's Court renovation delicately blends moments of softness and austerity
Westminster Coroner's Court gets a refresh and addition, courtesy of Lynch Architects and artist Brian Clarke
By Ellie Stathaki Published