Akademiska Hus invests in Laboratory of the Future for Karolinska Institutet
Wednesday, 8 June 2016In order for Karolinska Institutet to further strengthen its position in research, parts of the main building at the Flemingsberg Campus will be remodelled into a “laboratory of the future”. Akademiska Hus is investing SEK 320 million in the project, which will be ready for occupancy in 2018.
The remodelling project, which will provide more modern classroom and laboratory facilities and is referred to under the working title of Laboratory of the Future, covers about 12,300 square metres of the ANA8 building’s total area of nearly 50,000 square metres. The premises are currently occupied by the Department of Laboratory Medicine and the Department of Dental Medicine, but the more efficient use of space following the remodel will also allow room for the Center for Infectious Medicine (CIM).
“The idea is to create new research environments governed by the common interests of the researchers, regardless of department. The lab will therefore be divided by theme,” says Professor Matti Sällberg, head of the Department of Laboratory Medicine at Karolinska Institutet. “Researchers will also be able to benefit from common access to expensive laboratory equipment.”
From the standpoint of research and the individual researcher, departmental walls have been eliminated, while the researchers retain their original department affiliation for administrative purposes. The ambition is to create a work environment that will stimulate new ideas through new contacts and interdisciplinary meetings. Akademiska Hus is investing about SEK 320 million in the remodelling project, which places very high demands on design and security to be able to handle KI’s advanced research.
“It feels great to be involved in a project to build a laboratory of the future that will provide opportunities for researchers to interact and share knowledge in new ways,” says Sten Wetterblad, Regional Director for Akademiska Hus Stockholm Region, “We hope this project will increase the prospects for Karolinska Institutet to pursue cutting-edge research while providing new opportunities to achieve breakthroughs that improve human health.”
Construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2016. Occupants will move in gradually, with full occupancy expected in winter 2018.