The GEIC is the first new building to be erected on the University of Manchester's North Campus as part of its Masterplan.  The University describes it as, "... a state-of-the-art technical facility critical to exploit and maintain the United Kingdom’s world-leading position in advanced 2-D materials. .... the 8,000-square-meter academic building was presented as a fixed arrangement of laboratories, stacked on three floors." 



Designed by Raphael Viñoly the building provides, "... two continuous floor plates of modular labs to maximize flexibility of the highly-technical, specialized research space."

The building occupies the site of the Faraday Building that was linked across the road (shown below) with the Faraday Tower.


The University's website adds that, "... The building’s design responds to its prominent location adjacent to the Mancunian Way urban motorway by creating a glazed street-facing side to show the work being conducted inside. Glazed staircases and projecting elements on the upper office level further connect the building to the city beyond.  In accordance with the University’s sustainability aspirations, the project will be certified BREEAM Excellent."

The Faraday Building was built as part of the campus of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST).  It and the adjoining Faraday Tower were designed by H. M. Fairhurst and built in 1967.  Its original function was as a Chemistry department. 

The concrete on this building and the Faraday Tower had an abstract design in its surface created by Antony Hollaway.