Science and Research

We have a strong track record in the science and research sector, having delivered pioneering and award-winning buildings for institutions of global repute.

Our offsite manufacturing capabilities, along with research and development, has enabled us to deliver world-class science and research facilities utilising our integrated delivery model. 

Our teams have the expertise in delivering to the precise tolerances required by the sector, along with design and engineering solutions that provide creative spaces and workplaces for some of the greatest minds to solve today's challenges.

Science and Technology is currently a priority sector for the UK government, with a focus on constructing high quality facilities that enable scientists to conduct world class research. Our projects within this sector have often been on compact sites, but our manufacturing-led approach to delivery helps us overcome this challenge, minimise disruption to neighbours and the public, and stay on programme. A good example of this is the Henry Royce Institute in Manchester, which is situated on a busy, city centre university campus.

2024 marked 25 years of Laing O'Rourke building in Oxford and with a rich heritage of working for the University of Oxford to deliver teaching, science and research facilities. Projects delivered for the University of Oxford including the Oxford Biochemistry Building and The Blavatnik School of Government. Our thirteenth project for the university is currently underway.

In Australia, Laing O’Rourke has become a trusted partner to a number leading academic institutions most recently delivering the Susan Wakil Health Building for the University of Sydney – a world-class purpose built facility that is training Australia’s future health workforce.

James is our Science & Research sector lead for the Europe Hub. It’s a sector that requires early engagement and collaboration from the outset, skills that James has honed throughout his 20-year career with Laing O’Rourke. He has worked inside and outside of traditional management structures and this experience makes him particularly suited to early engagement on schemes where the brief and route to delivery are fluid. He has supported clients in this space both in short term scheme appraisals, and longer-term pre-construction support. His clients value the attention to detail, innovative thinking and clarity of presentation that he demands of himself and encourages from his teams. James is a firm believer that that good stakeholder relationships are essential to the success of any project, and that clear, unambiguous communication is the key to making these relationships work.

Photograph: The Francis Crick Institute copyright Nick Guttridge.