The Crop Innovation Centre celebrates its official opening with the First Minister
A campus reimagined for a world-class research facility
Author
Christine Kiltie
Date
28 October 2024
Six years on from our appointment as Masterplanners and Architects, the impressive new crop research facilities are open, providing state-of-the-art facilities to drive the sustainable use of land and natural resources.
Arguably the best part of being an architect is seeing your design vision come to life.
Some six years after being appointed as Masterplanners and Architects for James Hutton’s new crop research facilities, we joined our design team colleagues, the James Hutton team, the Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray and Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, to celebrate the official opening of the striking new buildings.
As the final phase of the £62m investment, part funded by the Tay Cities Regional Deal, the Invergowrie campus is now complete and home to the new International Barley Hub and the Advanced Plant Growth Centre, collectively known as the 'Crop Innovation Centre'.
We worked closely with partners at McLaughlin and Harvey and Oberlanders Architects to ensure the successful delivery of this new facility. The strength, resilience and sustainable design of the building are key to supporting the groundbreaking research housed within, and we are proud to have worked with a dedicated team to bring this project to life.
Alasdair Cox
Director of Operations at the James Hutton Institute
Following a lengthy period of organic growth which had resulted in a disparate collection of buildings, an investment round facilitated an opportunity to review and refresh the existing site.
A masterplan which sought to reimagine the campus gave rise to new research and innovation buildings in the shape of the Crop Innovation Centre, home to the Advanced Plant Growth Centre (‘APGC’) and the International Barley Hub (‘IBH’) which provide state of the art laboratories and specialist crop research facilities, which are fostering a culture of discovery.
Understanding the research needs behind the facilities shaped a transformational vision, with the International Barley Hub forming the centrepiece of the masterplan and the new Advanced Plant Growth Centre connected immediately to the rear.
The site has been transformed to deliver a facility which is representative of the world class research work undertaken and that will support future growth and expansion. By holding flexibility at the core of the design, the space is future proofed to accommodate changing research needs.
Oberlanders have been delighted to work with the James Hutton Institute, McLaughlin & Harvey and project team partners to deliver this significant investment in new, ground-breaking facilities to support the Hutton’s continuing world leading crop research. The project realised a fabulous opportunity to rationalise the site, with the new Crop Innovation Centre providing a campus focal point, alongside new collaborative workspaces including ‘superlab’ spaces to support the evolving research. All delivered within a busy, live, research environment. We are immensely proud of the completed buildings and have valued the opportunity to be part of this exciting project.
Philip Macdonald
Managing Partner
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