Developed through the University’s long-standing relationship with John McAslan & Partners, the Health Innovation Campus at Lancaster University is designed to establish the university as an international centre for research, education and innovation in healthcare and medicine. At its heart is Health Innovation One, built in the first phase of the wider campus masterplan, which provides space for external organisations alongside the new home for Lancaster University’s Medical School and Division of Health Research.

Collaboration and innovation
Designed to encourage interdisciplinary working, the hub brings together academics, students, healthcare providers, businesses and the NHS within a flexible environment that supports different modes of work as well as informal interaction.

Three interconnected volumes engage with an undulating, wooded landscape. The pavilion-like building straddles a storey-height step in the terrain, with its five-storey central block set into a sloping earth bank so that it appears firmly embedded in its site. A two-storey wing sits on the bank, while a longer four-storey finger stretches out to the north, on lower ground. Together with set-back upper floors, the composition allows the 8000-square-metre building to maintain a low profile, preserving views of a listed building on a nearby hill. 

The surrounding woodland inspired the earthy, autumnal colours of anodised aluminium panels in the facades, which are perforated with a delicate pattern of leaves and branches. Some mask ventilation panels while others act as brises-soleil, dappling interiors with shadows. They are set within a robust white concrete frame that also forms a long colonnade, guiding visitors’ approach from the north.

Landscape and sustainability
The campus occupies a greenfield site shaped by an existing natural watercourse. Health and wellbeing are central to the design, with internal spaces opening onto generous landscaped areas and long views framed by retained 300-year-old oak trees that are integral to both the setting of the building and the experience of its interior spaces.

All excavated material was retained, with surplus soil reused to make landforms, swales and detention ponds that manage surface water and release it gradually back into the Ou Beck. Biodiversity has been significantly enhanced through native planting, meadow landscapes and new aquatic habitats, while cycle routes connect the campus to Lancaster city centre, embedding Health Innovation One within its wider setting and community.