The Press in Foxton topped out as new science and innovation campus takes shape
Phase two of The Press in Foxton – a new 100,000 sq ft science and innovation campus – has been topped out by developer Mission Street and real estate firm BGO.
The historic former printing press has been revitalised to provide space for scale-ups and established science and technology businesses.
Mission Street founder and CEO Artem Korolev and architect Richard Warwick undertook a ceremonial filling of the last structural concrete in the building on 9 July.
Completion is expected in the first quarter of 2025, with fitted labs and collaborative workspaces available now to potential occupiers.
Phase one of the work, which was recently completed, involved the refurbishment of the former Burlington Press to provide 16,000 sq ft of fitted lab suites across two units.
Phase two will deliver a further 65,000 sq ft of larger scale R&D space via a newly constructed two-storey building.
Artem, who established Mission Street in 2017, said: “This is a significant development for the Cambridge southern cluster, home to the UK’s highest concentration of biotech companies.
“The Press responds to a persistent shortfall in fit-for-purpose lab and office space that has meant that many outstanding innovators have had to settle for second-best alternatives and suffered as a result.”
Amenities for employees and the wider public will include newly landscaped gardens and an improved environment for Foxton's war memorial.
The Press is five minutes from Foxton station, giving easy access to Cambridge railway station, King’s Cross and the forthcoming Cambridge South station on the Biomedical Campus.
The building was constructed as a printing works in 1909 alongside a series of workers’ cottages.
The Burlington Press was a means of bringing non-agricultural employment into the rural communities outside of Cambridge. The building was repurposed and extended with low-quality industrial units in the 1970s and 1980s.
Colin Brown, development director at Mission Street, said: “It was an absolute joy to work with the best of the existing buildings at the Burlington Press, and with phase two we had the opportunity to replace the lower quality buildings on site with industry-leading, purpose-built lab space, public space and additional amenity for the village of Foxton. “
Designed by Cambridge-based architects Owers Warwick Architects, phase one of The Press retains the historic features of the Burlington Press, such as its high-volume space and saw-tooth roof, which have been used to create striking lab and office spaces.
The new scheme is targeting the BREEAM Excellent rating, while delivering more than 10 per cent biodiversity net gain via a landscape strategy that will open the site up to local people.
