UK Research and Innovation opened the £93 million National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) in Harwell in October of 2024. Located on the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Campus in Oxfordshire, the 43,055-sf facility features sophisticated dry research environments where multidisciplinary teams can design, build, and operate quantum computers. Available to users from across industry and academia, this purpose-built hub is envisioned as a catalyst for the discovery and the scale-up of commercially viable technologies. Dynamic collaboration spaces are accompanied by meeting rooms, offices, and areas for informal exchange. A three-story linear atrium with an interactive staircase links two connected volumes with different spatial, servicing, and environmental requirements.
Designed by Hawkins/Brown, the project was delivered by construction manager Wates for a contract value of £31.5 million. Internal riser and corridor modules, as well as plant room skids, were prefabricated offsite at Wates' PRISM manufacturing facility in Coventry. The highly sustainable development has attained BREEAM Excellent certification and integrates a cross-laminated timber (CLT) frame to minimize embodied carbon. Construction began on the NQCC in June of 2022.
| Organization | Project Role |
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Hawkins\Brown
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Architect
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Wates
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Construction Manager
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