We have seen considerable growth in our Life Sciences research and teaching in recent years and the new Health and Life Sciences building, opened in autumn 2020, is purpose-built to accommodate this. Along with teaching labs and seminar rooms, research labs and write-up areas, the building will also include a state-of-the-art Bio-Resource Unit, a new home for the Cole Museum of Zoology and its collections, a café and social space.

The building incorporates the latest sustainable construction techniques and energy efficiencies to help reduce carbon emissions. The teaching lab on the ground floor can be subdivided to create up to four separate spaces creating flexible labs, suitable for wider usage including research project work or exams.

The Cole Museum of Zoology will be housed in a spacious atrium on the ground floor. While there is a lot of preparation involved in the move, with all specimens needing to be counted, cleaned and packed, this presents an opportunity to reinterpret the collection for modern museum audiences. The story of the development of the Cole Collection and the Museum will be told through a series of bespoke display cases and a virtual specimen screen, with a new museum website linked to the University Museums and Collections portal.

The Museum will share the space in the atrium with the Trilobite Café, taking pride of place as people enter the building.
As well as moving much of our existing research equipment into the building, including the cardiovascular research unit, the latest technology and equipment will be installed. This will upgrade the current provision and reduce its carbon footprint.

The second floor accommodates research labs and a suite of controlled environment rooms will allow researchers to specify conditions to investigate, for example, the effects of climate change on populations.