The University of Southampton’s Centre of Cancer Immunology is situated at Southampton General Hospital.
Built adjacent to the Somers Building, the centre was developed by the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS) and Southampton City Council.
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The centre’s research facilities include a clinical trials unit, a suite of molecular biology laboratories and a pre-clinical immunology lab to support the development of new cancer immunotherapies.
Construction began in 2016 and was completed with an estimated investment of £25m ($32.46m) in April 2018.
Details of the cancer immunology centre in Southampton
The University of Southampton launched a campaign in 2015 to raise £25m ($32.46m) for the centre. It received donations from the Wolfson Foundation, Matthew Hodgson of Warwick Capital Partners and rock band Coldplay.
Solent LEP contributed £4.5m ($5.84m) for the construction of the centre, which was carried out as part of the 21+ NHS procurement framework.
A planning application for the centre was approved by Southampton City Council in February 2016. A topping out ceremony was held in October of the same year.
Design and features
The Centre for Cancer Immunology is situated in a four-storey building, which has a total floor space of 4,000m². The upper two floors have space dedicated for research and administration, while the lower two floors feature laboratories.
The ground floor of the building includes an atrium, space for meeting rooms and a clinical trials unit, as well as an open-plan office space.
The first floor includes work spaces and meeting rooms for researchers, PhD and undergraduate students, senior academics and clinicians in cancer immunology.
The second floor of the building serves as a hub for laboratory research. It has study and work areas for students and staff.
Facility details
The Centre for Cancer Immunology accommodates immunotherapy scientists, clinicians and technical experts.
It includes sophisticated research equipment and acts as a hub for academic and industry partners worldwide. It supports clinical trials for the development of lifesaving drugs for cancer.
The building features a clinical trials unit, a suite of molecular biology laboratories and a pre-clinical immunology lab. It significantly enhances the number of staff working on cancer immunology and patient clinical trials.
The new facility attracts leading scientists from all over the world in the development of immunotherapy treatments and partners with Francis Crick Centre in London. It supports research in multiple cancer forms such as lung, skin, pancreatic and neuroblastoma cancer.
Contractors involved
PM Devereux was awarded a contract to design the Centre for Cancer Immunology, while Kier Construction Southern was contracted to provide general construction services for the project.
BuroHappold Engineering was involved in developing solutions for mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) work, as well as structural, energy and sustainability aspects. The University of Southampton appointed Cliftons Projects as the client’s representative for the construction management.
Other contractors and suppliers involved in the project were 4Energy Group, Rekam (client’s adviser to the design team), and BOF (approved furniture supplier).
