New Whittle Laboratory
The New Whittle Laboratory. Photo by Hufton + Crow
Project Brief
The new Whittle Laboratory is an Integrated Technology Accelerator. Its mission is to halve the time to develop key technologies to support a sustainable aviation industry.
The repurposing and expansion of the original 1970s Whittle Laboratory encompasses the Bennett Innovation Lab and the UK National Centre for Propulsion and Power (NCPP).
The three-storey building is conceived as three interconnected distinct spaces, that visually and physically link the laboratory’s innovation activities. Entered from the south, through a colonnade, students, researchers and visitors are led directly into a three-storey atrium at the heart of the building. The atrium, conceived as a warm and active community space, supports informal presentations, gatherings and everyday exchange, with visual connections across offices, innovation spaces, workshops and research areas.
The Whittle ‘Tea Table’, long associated with the laboratory’s culture of collaborative innovation, has been restored at the first level, overlooking the central atrium, while courtyard and terrace gardens support formal and informal dialogue. Cellular offices and innovation spaces, on the upper levels support deep focus work addressing the needs of researchers for uninterrupted writing and research.
Beyond the atrium are prototype fabrication workshops designed to support the teams, tools and testing equipment needed to develop ideas at speed. To the north of the building, the NCPP, housed in a triple height space, provides state-of-the-art environment for rapid innovation, testing and advancement in aerospace engineering. A removable feature window in the west façade allows large-scale machinery to be replaced and upgraded over time, while offering a visible connection between the public realm and the research taking place inside.
Sustainability has been embedded into the project from the outset. The building incorporates air-source heat pumps with future provision for connection to Cambridge West’s district energy network, rooftop solar generation, a high-performance self-shading façade that balances daylight and cooling loads, and the reuse of materials from demolition including reclaimed raised floor tiles and low-carbon steel elements.
The new Whittle Laboratory, a striking new building at the gateway to the University of Cambridge’s Cambridge West Innovation District, was officially opened on 20 July 2026 at the Frank Whittle Summit by His Majesty King Charles III.
Site address
JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FD
Size
3,781 sqm
Total Cost
£ 58M
Project Leader
Andrew Robinson
Contractor
SDC Builders
Architect
Grimshaw
Status
Work started: May 2023
Completed: July 2026
Officially opened: July 2026
More information:
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