Background
The Paterson Building is one of the world’s foremost cancer research centres, home to 700 researchers, clinicians and technical experts committed to doubling clinical trial participation by 2030 and transforming cancer outcomes across the Northwest and beyond.
Project Scope
The Christie Hospital, acting on behalf of the Manchester Cancer Research Centre (MCRC)—a globally recognised partnership between The University of Manchester, Cancer Research UK, and The Christie—led the planning and commissioning of a new Paterson Laboratory at its Manchester site. The aim was to develop an expanded, modern facility: a holistic, state-of-the-art cancer research centre designed to advance prevention, detection, and treatment through close collaboration and world-class research.
CCTech was engaged by Integrated Health Projects (IHP), alongside VINCI, BDP, Arup, and Imtech. IHP worked in an integrated capacity with client teams from The University of Manchester, Cancer Research UK, and The Christie Hospital to deliver this ambitious vision.
Our Role
CCTech was appointed as specialist technical science advisor, with primary responsibility for the biomedical laboratories. In projects of this complexity, such facilities typically take up to two years post-completion to become fully operational. CCTech’s remit was to accelerate this process, enabling research outputs within weeks of practical completion.
From the outset of design development, CCTech worked closely with all stakeholders – developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Risk Assessments, Process Flows, and Equipment Specifications – to ensure that every laboratory space was purpose-built around actual research practices and operational needs.
We collaborated extensively with the facility’s users and the design and construction teams throughout the project lifecycle. A pivotal achievement was the delivery of laboratories to programme, built to the rigorous standards demanded of biomedical science. This was made possible in part by the creation of a full-scale mock-up laboratory at the VINCI Innovation Centre, where fixtures and finishes were tested, and equipment standards defined for Factory Acceptance Testing.