Crick Institute’s design reveals the shape of science to come

Helping to design the Crick showed James Briscoe how researchers are influenced by their workspaces.

The Francis Crick Institute, Europe’s largest biomedical research building, has opened—the Queen will cut the ribbon today—and its 1,200 or so scientists have begun to move in. My group is among these, with our arrival scheduled for December. 

For me, this will be the culmination of a story that began in 2008 as planning for the building got underway. As a faculty member at the Medical Research Council’s National Institute for Medical Research, one of the Crick’s founding partners, I and several colleagues were asked to assist HOK, the architects designing the labs. The process made me reflect on how research needs affect design, but also how design influences how researchers work.