International Digital Laboratory, University of Warwick, UK
Architect
 Edward Cullinan Architects
Date Built
 2006 - 2008
Location
 University of Warwick
Description
The International Digital Laboratory, on the campus of the University of Warwick, is the second in a cluster of buildings to be built on the site for the Warwick Manufacturing Group and the University. 



David Mullins of the WMG describes this building as, " ... an excellent, light and airy environment which inspires multi-disciplinary collaborative R&D. The achievement of a BREEAM 'Excellent' rating highlights the major contribution that it will make to the University's strategic vision to make the Warwick campus a living demonstration of the principles of environmental sustainability"

The Lab's website says that the $50m state-of-the-art building is, "... designed to facilitate major collaborative research opportunities, create effective knowledge transfer between academia and industry and generate new knowledge and skills with an impact on business, society and the economy."



The building comprises a 100-seater auditorium, a Board Room and four further meeting rooms.  These spaces offer the highest standard in visual and audio presentation facilities.  The Lab also has, " ... a dedicated education area with 25 high performance workstations for teaching and demonstrating CAD/CAM/PLM/Programming and other activities requiring high quality equipment. This large square area can be used as one room or split into two to work with separate groups. Lecturers are supported by widescreen, HD resolution SMARTBoards and stereo sound for a high quality experience. The layout is unconventional and designed to promote the team work that is relevant to today’s businesses. ... The Digital Lab also contains a number of specialist environments to support the work of our research teams." These include a Sound Lab, Visualisation Lab, E-security Lab, a Lab Car and a Clean manufacturing environment.

The building also features a green roof and a sophisticated ventilation system, all factors in the awarding of a BREEAM Excellence rating.