Reef Group (Reef) and BlackRock Real Estate, have completed The Apex, the first laboratory building at TRIBECA, London’s largest purpose-built life science campus. The Apex is the first phase of the development and comprises over 10,220m2 of laboratory and office space, set over six floors.
As a purpose-built life sciences campus, The Apex and subsequent phases of TRIBECA have been designed to facilitate cutting-edge science and collaboration.
The Francis Crick Institute is supporting 4,831m2 of space in the Apex and will offer expertly managed state-of-the-art labs, enabling innovative companies to benefit from the world-class Crick expertise and collaborate with scientists and experts from one of the world’s leading biomedical research institutes.
The London BioScience Innovation Centre (LBIC) signed a lease on 3,623m2 of space or c. 35% of the building, offering state-of-the-art scale-up lab facilities to its growing customer base as a world-leading destination for bioscience research and development. One of LBIC’s first occupiers at The Apex is Baseimmune, a discovery-stage biotech developing universal vaccines with variant-proof antigens.
The Apex has a ground floor café fronting Regent’s Canal and has a generous double-height entrance on St Pancras Way. LBIC will occupy the basement, ground and first two floors of the building, with the ability to provide laboratory support services to all occupiers in the building, while the upper floors will enjoy an extensive roof terrace.
To deliver The Apex, Reef collaborated with Bennetts Associates, the architect of The Apex, to develop the ‘TRIBECA earth block’, a sustainable construction material created by using excavated clay to make 13,000 earth blocks, which in turn, have been used for the perimeter walls of the building’s basement in place of block work. When compared to medium-density cement blockwork, the earth blocks emit only one-tenth of the CO2, which has reduced the environmental impact of the building.
Located in the Kings Cross Knowledge Quarter, TRIBECA features c. 1 million sq ft high-quality workspace, state-of-the-art laboratories, homes, and retail, as well as green spaces and amenities. The campus is located near to The Francis Crick Institute, the British Library, UCL, Kings College London, the Royal Veterinary College as well as many other life sciences and technology leaders. Part of the development plans for the campus, Reef and BlackRock Real Estate are delivering a bridge which will connect the wider King’s Cross estate to the train and underground station.
The other buildings to be delivered in the second and final phase at TRIBECA include Reflector, Assembly and Connector, all of which will offer state-of-the-art lab spaces, with facilities designed for life science businesses ranging from discovery science through to international pharmaceutical companies. The final phase of delivery also includes a twelve-storey residential building, which will deliver both private and affordable homes.
All of the buildings at TRIBECA will be delivered to the highest sustainability and connectivity design standards, in accordance with the principles of the London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI). The Apex has achieved BREEAM Excellent and the final phase is targeting BREEAM Outstanding and a Wired Score Platinum Rating.
Peter Langly-Smith, Managing Director at Reef Group, comments: “Completing The Apex is an exciting step forward for the TRIBECA development, where both LBIC and the Francis Crick Institute will partner with us to deliver a truly unique opportunity for our occupier partners. TRIBECA will provide purpose-built lab spaces in the heart of the city and in close proximity to other leading science companies and institutions, which create a best-in-class environment for businesses to start, scale and stay. Reducing the carbon impact of the building was a priority and integrating the innovative ‘TRIBECA brick’ in the construction process has minimised The Apex’s carbon footprint, an approach we are looking to integrate in TRIBECA’s next and final phase.”
Luke Hacking, Senior Director, Investor Leasing, CBRE UK, added: “The completion of The Apex is a key milestone for TRIBECA. Funding into the life sciences sector has increased as has the demand for lab-enabled space in London. TRIBECA’s proximity to the big tech companies in King’s Cross plays well to the convergence of AI and life sciences. LBIC and The Francis Crick Institute act as significant anchors and curators of the life sciences ecosystem and the future phases being delivered throughout 2026 provide the ability for occupiers to grow and expand within the scheme. The Apex is just the start.”
Image provided by FTI Consulting.
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