Newcastle, UK
Completed:
2019
Architect:
Halliday Meecham
Contractor:
G F Tomlinson
Product Used:
Anti-vibration Benches, Exemplaire C Frame System, IPS, Laboratory sink stations, Mobile Benches, Pedestal, Utilaire
The Central Teaching Laboratories at Keele University represent a major investment in contemporary STEM teaching and higher education laboratory facilities. Designed by Halliday Meecham Architects and delivered by G F Tomlinson Group, with building services engineering provided by Cundall, the £34 million development provides 5,300m² of modern teaching laboratories, bringing together multiple scientific disciplines within a collaborative, student-focused environment.
Developed as a centralised teaching facility for the university’s science departments, the building consolidates a range of practical teaching spaces previously spread across campus into a series of large-scale shared laboratory environments. The facility includes wet and dry laboratories, physics and electronics laboratories, computer science teaching spaces and flexible multi-user teaching laboratories designed to support collaborative and interdisciplinary learning.
SB Laboratories manufactured and installed the laboratory furniture throughout a wide range of teaching laboratories, prep spaces and specialist environments within the building. To support the varied technical and teaching requirements across the facility, the project incorporated a combination of Exemplaire C-Frame, Utilaire and Pedestal laboratory furniture systems, alongside balance benches, mobile teaching tables, sink stations and IPS safety stations.
Mobile under-bench storage and adaptable bench configurations were integrated throughout the laboratories to support contemporary practical teaching and collaborative STEM learning. The large-scale shared laboratory model allows several disciplines and teaching groups to operate simultaneously within the same environment, improving space utilisation whilst encouraging greater collaboration between departments. The layouts were developed to support evolving teaching methods and multi-disciplinary practical learning within the open-plan laboratory environments.
The completed Central Teaching Laboratories provide Keele University students with access to modern STEM teaching laboratories designed to support collaborative practical learning across multiple scientific disciplines.
The SB Labs manufacturing plant, showrooms and offices are always open for viewing and a member of staff would be happy to provide a guided tour at any time.
