Construction starts on US$646mn ‘largest European’ commercial lab

Called One North Quay, the facility will be a ‘vertical science campus’ covering 76,459m². There will also be a more than 1,858m² rooftop terrace with a restaurant and amenities.

The building’s construction is a partnership between UK-based real estate developer and builder Canary Wharf Group (CWG) and Dutch firm Kadans Science, a specialist investor, developer and operator of laboratory and office buildings.

CWG’s subsidiary Canary Wharf Contractors is leading the build. New York, US-based Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) served as architects, with UK firm Buro Happold signed on for building service engineering and Ramboll Group (Netherlands) and Alinea Consulting (UK) as advisors.

Render of the future One North Quay building in Canary Wharf, London, UK. (Image: Kohn Pedersen Fox)

“In contrast to other commercial life sciences buildings and science parks in the UK, architects KPF designed One North Quay as a 23-storey ‘vertical science campus’ that has flexible floor plates and future-proofed infrastructure that can support technological advancements across sub-sectors and enable occupiers to adapt their space or facilitate a seamless transition to larger spaces without disrupting operations, something that is unique in the London market,” explained CWG.

The project is expected to cost €500 million (US$646 million) and house ‘cutting-edge’ lab spaces for both start-ups and multinational companies.

It’s scheduled to open in 2027.

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