Built between 2007 and 2009, the Queen Mary BioEnterprises (QMB) Innovation Centre was London’s first completely new build facility for chemistry and biology start-ups.

The centre, part of Queen Mary University of London, marks the south-western limit of the university’s life-sciences campus in Whitechapel.

The construction of the QMB Innovation Centre was triggered by increased demand for incubation space within London. It offers 39,000 square feet of laboratory and office space, including a lecture theatre capable of seating 120 students in the basement, university offices on the ground floor and three upper floors assigned to open-plan laboratories.

The Innovation Centre was designed by international architectural practice NBBJ, which is known for its innovative and unique designs, and was built by construction services provider Walter Lilly.

Also working alongside NBBJ on this project was rainscreen cladding and façade engineering specialist James & Taylor. We supplied James & Taylor with our Berlin architectural cladding mesh which was used on the exterior cladding for the building.

The brass-coloured cladding mesh lines the walls of the concrete-framed three-storey block to form a metallic envelope, interrupted by horizontal bands of glazing and a pattern of vertical depressions and ridges.

Our Berlin mesh is a raised aluminium mesh that can introduce texture, colour and light to any architectural project, and can provide an aesthetically pleasing finish. It was the perfect solution for this project, as it provides an eye-catching decorative exterior feature which enables the QMB Innovation Centre to stand out as a unique and modern building.

To find out more about the building cladding applications of metal mesh, click here or contact us to see how we can provide bespoke solutions for your architectural projects.