Rosalind Franklin Institute Hub topped-out in Harwell

The company Mace has celebrated construction reaching the highest point at the Rosalind Franklin Institute Hub in Harwell, Didcot, with a topping-out ceremony that was attended by members of Rosalind Franklin’s family as well as several young scientists.

The Franklin Hub is currently under construction by Mace, working with UKRI-STFC, at a cost of £40M, with the purpose of the new development being to encourage further developments within the academic field of life sciences by offering facilities and equipment that can display cellular structure on a molecular level.

The Chair of The Franklin, Vivienne Cox stated: “We marked ground-breaking in May 2019, so to see the structure coming up in just six months is really remarkable. The teams here are building something very special, which will be a real beacon for life sciences in the UK.”

Once completed in early 2021, the hub will accommodate approximately 200 scientists from universities across the country and will feature advanced facilities for research, work, socialising, and networking, with one example being the most electromagnetically stable space on earth that is essential for developing new electron microscopes.

The Managing Director of Public Sector Construction at Mace, Terry Spraggett commented: “The project is ahead of schedule and has gone through the design phase in record time. We are pleased to be here and to celebrate the hard work of the build teams, and of the scientists who have worked together to design this unique building. We are excited for the next phase of the project.”

The Chief Executive Officer of the Education Business Partnership, Michelle Smith added: “The students were so excited to come along and see this brilliant building and learn about Rosalind Franklin herself.

“Careers in science and technology offer so many opportunities, but it is often hard for students to imagine themselves in these roles without seeing them up close. Having the Franklin on the doorstep will be inspirational, and we are excited about working together.”

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