The Wellcome Trust is the largest and most influential medical charity in the world. Its mission to improve global health is at the heart of its work at the Wellcome Genome Campus in Cambridgeshire, home to two of the foremost institutions: the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the European Bioinformatics Institute. With limited space on the existing campus site, Wellcome commissioned Arup to develop a vision and masterplan for a major campus expansion.

Arup developed a masterplan centred around three key principles: Community (expanding the campus into a science community with new homes, facilities and infrastructure); Convergence (developing collaboration areas and public spaces to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration); and Health and wellbeing (designing with a focus onhuman, as well as environmental, community and planetary, health).  

The project team designed proposals for new social amenities, from public education to retail and a nursery, as well as an extensive 18km network of walking and cycling routes linking residential areas to labs, offices and community infrastructure. What’s more, the masterplan leaves zones open to flexible growth, meaning that the campus can grow at pace in whatever direction the community takes it.  

Masterplanning 

The Wellcome Genome Campus sits within Cambridgeshire’s rural landscape and offers a unique opportunity to work with its surroundings to protect and restore its natural landscape. Our team incorporated nature-based solutions as part of the masterplan design, which included sustainable urban drainage, biodiversity corridors, natural open spaces, retained farmland and an additional 16ha of woodland to help improve the environmental systems of the site. These solutions complement the character of the area while assisting the campus in adapting to climate change. 

The project and client teams embraced a notion of stewardship of place that the built and natural environments must be cared for over the long term, that they can be catalysts for better health and wellbeing for all, and that they are critical for creating a sustainable 21st century campus. 

The masterplan also seeks to promote inclusive and sustainable transport by creating an extensive 18km network of walking and cycling routes. The new active travel infrastructure links residential areas to labs, offices and community infrastructure; integrates the existing campus and expanded campus; and connects the campus to towns, villages and transport networks in the wider area, including new dedicated cycle lanes to the nearest train station. The expanded campus is expected to see up to 17% of employees choosing to walk or cycle to work compared with its current figure of just 1%. 

Aerial render of the Wellcome Genome Campus within Cambridgeshire's rural landscape
Illustrative masterplan showing the future science community set within the landscape
Wellcome Genome campus render
he plans for the campus comprise 150,000m2 of additional research and commercial space, 1,500 new homes targeted at campus workers, alongside supporting social infrastructure to accommodate 4,200 new jobs.

Arup’s urban design and landscape team brought strong conceptual thinking as well as an attention to detail to deliver a masterplan of exceptional quality for the Wellcome Genome Campus. Arup’s sensitive and holistic design approach supported by a depth of research and foresight helped articulate a compelling vision and secure the future of a 21st century research and innovation community in South Cambridgeshire.

Tom Clarke

Former Director of Planning, The Wellcome Trust

Partners & collaborators

Collaborator(s): Happold Engineering, Quod, Aspire / Sub-consultant(s): Alison Brooks Architects, Architecture 00, Kim Wilkie,