The design of the new centre is rooted in analysis of the organisation. Rather than a conventional arrangement of offices above double-height testing areas, the building is arranged as five fingers, with parallel office and industrial units – this dynamic, integrated arrangement is highly flexible and promotes visual connections and interaction between the offices, laboratories and different divisions. Breaks between each finger draw daylight into the heart of the floor plate.
The research spaces extend from a top-lit central spine, which runs from the restaurant in the south to the accommodation for staff in the north. Glazed oval meeting pods are suspended above the full-height space, which acts as a light well, drawing daylight through the building and into the staff social spaces below. The circulation strategy creates a natural divide between public areas and more sensitive product development zones – visitors will be able to tour the centre and see the large-scale testing machinery in use.