As with other new buildings on the University of Warwick Campus, the challenge with the Mechanochemical Cell Biology Building was to create an attractive, energy efficient building that provided the facilities needed to conduct the world class biomedical research that would happen inside it. 

The architects say that, "The complexity of reconciling a scientific brief with those of sustainable design is represented in the proposed building façades. The building will use multiple layers of environmental filters from clear glass to brightly coloured vents which turn their orientation from horizontal to vertical as they corner the building and the sun drops in the sky.  Sustainability is at the core of this project and has been designed with innovative passive and active technologies to help achieve a BREEAM rating of Excellent."

Of the building the University adds that it is home to, " ... some of the world's highest calibre of researchers and students."  It sits beside and is connected to the  Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) building.