UKAEA – Combined Office Building

The site for the STEP / UKAEA offices building is set within the emerging western masterplan along the western flank of the site’s Main Avenue at the Culham Science Centre – a c. 80-hectare site to the south of Oxford. Its prominent location required careful consideration in terms of the wider context of UKAEA’s masterplan aspirations for the future and provided an opportunity to set the tone of the architectural language for future developments along Main Avenue and assist in developing a cohesive and integrated approach to the campus.

Our design was developed in response to the specific requirements of the teams who will occupy the building, and their individual needs. These requirements were established through extensive stakeholder meetings, brief analysis and development with the client team and stakeholders. In addition to the development of the brief, the design takes into account the detailed analysis of the site, and specific challenges associated with providing a building which works with the site and associated infrastructure now but also aligns with the emerging masterplan development aspirations for the future.

Our solution was centred around six core objectives:

1. Efficiency - To deliver a building that is both lean and efficient in terms of usability for the occupier, and in its use of materials and constructability aligned with project budgetary constraints
2. Adaptability & Flexibility - To create a flexible, agile office environment that can be easily modified according to future needs and conditions
3. Identity - To develop a sense of identity for the site and wider context through a flagship building, which improves the existing environment and is commensurate with the industry leading research undertaken within
4. Wellness - To create a better human-centred built environment which promotes wellbeing for its users and is a pleasure to experience as well as easy to use
5. Innovation - To provide a physical environment that celebrates forward thinking in both the built form and also the spaces within; to encourage productive collisions and collaboration that fosters innovation
6. Sustainability - To deliver a building that aligns with UKAEA’s sustainability aspirations and meets the target of BREEAM Excellent for Design and Excellent in Use.

The building massing is arranged in a simple “L” shape form to provide clear flexible office wings with dual aspects, anchored around a centralised core serving both wings. The main building entrance has been pushed back away from the immediate Main Avenue roadside, further into the civic space, to activate the landscape and force building users through the newly provided external plaza space. By providing the main building entrance in this location, a pedestrian promenade through the landscape is established as part of the entry sequence into the building and offers further future connectivity to public transport links from the neighbouring Culham train station. With an increase in foot traffic through the space, a bustling plaza type environment is promoted with further opportunities for informal crossover of colleagues, casuals chats between meetings or a sunny spot to grab a coffee outside, aligning with the project vision for celebrating collaboration.

The centre of the building features a full height atrium that floods the space with natural daylight. It features a tiered bleacher stair seating on the ground floor offering an amphitheatre type environment for the sharing of knowledge, perfect for informal talks and presentations. This then links to the main circulation piece that connects to the floors above. Pockets of break out spaces are arranged around the atrium in this central hub with the perimeter of the space occupied by conference and meeting rooms. Wrapping stairs are arranged in the atrium to connect to the other floors. Using a variety of furniture types; sofas, soft seating, small working tables and stools, small hives of activity are facilitated that allow for flexible working styles and create an inviting space for various activities. The atrium area is designed to promote social interaction; an active space for welcoming visitors, hosting small informal meetings or a simply a place to sit and take a break away from the desk. Placed within the ground floor atrium area, a coffee bar is provided along with opportunities for display space that can be used for presenting projects or to showcase brand identity.

These design features that have been incorporated into the building are subtle moves to support the future vision of the UKAEA organisation to promote the sharing of ideas, collaborating between teams in the shared goal of leading the way in the innovation of sustainable nuclear fusion energy.