Unity Campus

Unity Campus

Unity Campus is an exciting, fast growing science and technology location situated just 8 miles south of Cambridge.

The 11.5 acre campus, which is already home to 12 leading life science and technology companies, is undergoing a major transformation into a place where people not only enjoy working but also want to belong to, socialise within and love being a part of. Unity Campus is blurring the boundaries between workspace and community, giving rise to a thriving micro-Cambridge cluster of healthcare enterprises with knowledge sharing, collaboration, and plenty of opportunities for mood-boosting and personal development activities at its heart.

On campus, state-of-the-art facilities support a vibrant, collaborative and social community of like-minded innovators, united by a common vision to push the boundaries of scientific discovery whilst keeping physical and mental wellbeing a top priority, and playing their part in supporting the local community. 

Having first acquired Sawston Trade Park in 2011 we subsequently purchased Iconix Park in 2013 and Langford Arch in late 2017. The purchase of Iconix Park included additional development land between the two estates and along the A1301 Sawston bypass. Further to a holistic master planning exercise, Unity Campus was created to encompass all of our Sawston assets. Unity Campus brings together the office and laboratories of Iconix Park with new, high-quality business and R&D accommodation on the adjacent land.

The masterplan for the compact site has been purposefully designed to foster business interactions and friendships. Building on the industrial legacy of the nearby villages of Sawston and Pampisford, the bold urban aesthetic of the buildings is being off-set by a network of connected green spaces and water meadows as well as a landscaped courtyard with a multi-purpose clubhouse. Community, societal impact and sustainability underpin every aspect of the operation and development of the Campus.

By merging the traditional and modern, urban and rural, business and social, Unity Campus offers an entirely different working environment to all other science and research parks in the Cambridge area creating a wider choice of location for technology and life science companies seeking laboratories or offices.

 

High quality lab fit out at Unity Campus

Fred Murphy, Asset Manager, walks us through our recently completed landlord wet lab fit out at Unity Campus - demonstrating our ability to deliver high specification laboratory spaces as part of Phase 2.
View video here.

Located 8 miles from Cambridge

Unity Campus is strategically located at the centre of the life sciences cluster on the city’s southern fringe with easy access by road, rail, cycle and bus.

Home to:
   • 400 biomedical companies.
   • 50 business support organisations.
   • 2 universities.
   • 4 research institutes*.
   • 3 NHS Foundation Trusts.

*Non-university

Phase 1: The Works at Unity Campus

The Works building was the first building within the new Unity Campus vision to be completed and the 63,000 sq ft flexible, modern work and laboratory space at the heart of the campus is now let to innovative life science and tech occupiers. Designed by world-leading architects NBBJ, The Works has  collaboration and connection at its core and draws on the industrial heritage of the two-storey warehouse which formally stood on the site. Housed within the pre-cast concrete frame of the original building, The Works provides modern office, tech and R&D accommodation, across a range of flexible one or two storey layout options, in a truly inspiring and engaging environment. In addition, high-quality internal circulation, breakout and amenity space within the glazed, double height central ‘Street’, which runs directly through the building, provides space flooded with natural light to meet, share ideas and relax with like-minded people and businesses.

Externally, secure car parking is available in a dedicated multi-storey car park and 200 cycle parking spaces are conveniently located directly outside the building. A new access road from the A1301 and upgraded footpaths and cycleways link Unity Campus with Sawston village, Whittlesford Parkway railway station (in under a mile) and central Cambridge. Attractive high-quality landscaping envelopes The Works frontage, providing additional space to enjoy during the summer months.

 

Unity Campus: Phase 2

This next phase of development included three new laboratory-enabled buildings – Cadence (32,604 sq ft), Sigma (24,467 sq ft) and Orion (31,002) sq ft - which were completed at the end of 2023.

Each building enjoys a unique external look, achieved via a mixed palette of external façade materials. The overall aesthetic is consistent with the modern industrial vibe of The Works. The buildings are fitted to a high standard including entrance lobbies, goods lifts, separate passenger lifts, wc facilities and showers on each floor. Features include pre-installed air handling (6 air changes per hour minimum), HVAC systems, in-column drainage, lighting and raised access floors. Externally, consideration has been given to delivery vehicles, gas bottle storage, clinical waste stores and generator access points.

In addition to the three new laboratory-enabled buildings, additional enhancements to the campus included:

• Additional EV charging points.
• Cycle racks located close to each building.
• Connected garden spaces to provide areas for members to relax, exercise and hold outdoor meetings.

 

 

Unity Campus Vision

Hear directly from those involved in Phase 2 of Unity Campus, as they share why the Campus is so much more than a science real estate project. 

"What I hope, over the long term, is this will be a place where great science is done, we attract great businesses doing amazing things that are changing people's lives," ~ Nicholas Bewes, CEO, Howard Group.
View video here.

Unity Campus: Phase 3

An outline planning application has been submitted for an additional 60,000 sq ft of laboratory / office space at the centre of Unity Campus. The development will include a central courtyard and clubhouse facilities, to further bring the community together and foster close collaboration and the sharing of ideas in an exemplar open innovation environment.

From old to new

We're transforming a tired industrial estate into a world-class science and technology location, which builds on the legacy of the traditional industries of the neighbouring villages – Pampisford & Sawston.

Inspiring Spaces

We're repurposing industrial units into state of the art laboratories and offices, and developing new buildings with an edgy, industrial aesthetic that reflect and celebrate the past.

Connected Location

Located 8 miles from Cambridge, Unity Campus is at the centre of the life sciences cluster on the city's southern fringe, yet entirely different to the conventional city-based or out-of-town science parks in the Cambridge area.

Our masterplan for Unity Campus is based on a compact, collegiate-style campus purposefully designed to foster business interactions and friendships. It is the result of a holistic master planning exercise encompassing all our Sawston assets.  

The masterplan at Unity Campus has been designed with flexibility at its heart and opportunities exist for larger occupiers to combine buildings to create their own campus environment. Single buildings up to c.65,000 sq ft (6,040 sq m) can be delivered within the existing masterplan but larger requirements of up to 200,000 sq ft (18,580 sq m) will also be considered, either on a multi-unit or single building basis.

New vehicular access from the A1301 Sawston bypass and a large, decked carpark caters for those needing to travel by car and there is additional access via London Road for smaller vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.

Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do.

In the development of The Works, the existing concrete frame and floor slab equating to 50% of the original materials and structure were retained. This saved approximately 1,900 tonnes of embodied carbon emissions whilst achieving a contemporary industrial feel to the workspace.

Sustainability is a key consideration both during construction (embodied carbon) and future use of the new buildings (operational carbon).

  • The new development is targeting a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating. 

  • The design team are undertaking detailed analysis of the construction design to reduce the embodied carbon throughout the construction. 

  • The enhanced air tightness regime for the buildings far exceeds Building Regulations requirements. 

  • Sitewide strategy for remediation has maximised the site re-use of materials with all crushed aggregate being recycled reducing construction traffic movements. 

  • External screening is provided to elevations to suit the site orientation with a <40% glazed area in line with LETI guidance. 

  • Enhanced sitewide biodiversity has been achieved by the introduction of wildflower meadows and extensive on-site water attenuation 


Unity Campus is one of the best-connected technology & innovation parks in the region, with access to excellent air, rail, road and cycling infrastructure. It sits in a prime location close to public transport links (Whittlesford Parkway station is under a mile away), community activities and amenities in nearby Sawston, cycle networks into central Cambridge and some of the region’s most affordable housing and Stansted Airport is located less than half an hour away by road. This combination of accessibility from a travel and amenity perspective is something that sets it apart from other ‘out of town’ science park locations in the cluster. The regeneration of this area of south Cambridgeshire, which is already attracting a young, dynamic business community, will in turn bring economic benefits to the surrounding areas.

By Rail
A short walk to Whittlesford Parkway Station:

  • 7 mins from Whittlesford Parkway to Cambridge
  • 1 hr 3 mins from Whittlesford Parkway to London (Liverpool Street)

By Bus
A short bus ride via local bus services:

  • 5 mins from Whittlesford Parkway to Sawston
  • 7 mins from Great Shelford to Sawston

By Bike
Cycle paths all the way to Central Cambridge:

  • 7 mins from Whittlesford Parkway
  • 12 mins from Great Shelford
  • 25 mins from Cambridge

By Road
Immediate access onto A505 and just 1 mile from junction 10 of the M11:

  • 25 mins from Cambridge to Sawston (via 1307)
  • 1 hr 20 mins from central London to Sawston (via M11)

Contact the agents

Paddy Shipp
JLL

paddy.shipp@eu.jll.com | 07469 155 531

Rupert Dando
Savills

rupert.dando@savills.com | 07813 624 276

Contact Us

Howard Group
93 Regent Street
Cambridge
CB2 1AW
01223 312 910

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