Canary Wharf life science hub appoints contractor to transform Elizabeth Line-linked site
Construction services organisation Morgan Sindall has been appointed lead contractor for a huge office-to-labs conversion in Canary Wharf.
The plans for 17 Columbus Courtyard (17CC), which were approved by Tower Hamlets in 2023, will see the existing building transformed into a new state-of-the-art life science and technology hub.
When the building is completed in 2026, it will have undergone a complete retrofit, refurbishment and extension and will cover approximately 200,000 sq ft of new laboratory space.
Managing Director of LS Estates, Rowan Jenkins, said Morgan Sindall’s appointment marked “a significant milestone” in what will be a “cutting-edge… facility for Canary Wharf”.
The building, which will prioritise sustainability and the circular economy, has been designed for a range of occupiers – from late-stage start-ups to more established companies.
Richard Dobson, Morgan Sindall construction’s area director for London, said: “17CC will exemplify how existing buildings can be repurposed and adapted to accommodate the changing nature of the workplace, assisting occupants in meeting their sustainability objectives.”
The emerging Canary Wharf life science cluster
17CC will be one of the first lab-enabled buildings of scale in Canary Wharf.
But planning permission has been secured for a raft of new labs in the area, with plans to create a best-in-class research hub.
In 2023, planning approval was secured for a 23-storey, 823,000 sq ft ‘vertical campus’, described by Canary Wharf Group as “Europe’s largest and most technologically advanced life sciences facility”.
Canary Wharf has been chosen as the location due to its connectivity, with the Jubilee Line, DLR and Elizabeth line all within walking distance.
After the opening of the Elizabeth Line, the buzz around Canary Wharf returned to near pre-pandemic levels, for passengers.
The line has rapidly become London’s most popular and used routes, linking the banking district of Canary Wharf to the City, West End and Heathrow.
Chief executive officer of Kadans Science Partner, Michel Leemhuis, noted that the area provides “access to a huge talent pool and numerous funding partners from its existing tenant base”.
Life sciences and healthcare organisations already based at Canary Wharf include Genomics England, Barts Health NHS Trust, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Medical Defence Union, the General Pharmaceutical Council and NHS Transformation.