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Nebula, Milton Park - Structural and Civil Engineering Services

As the largest single-owned innovation community in the UK, Milton Park provides space to over 270 organisations on more than 300 acres (121 hectares). Milton Park¡¯s latest development, Nebula, is comprised of seven purpose-built research and development tech boxes with landscaped, external communal space linking the units. Based on our familiarity with the site from our work on Bee House, MEPC selected us to provide structural and civil engineering services on their latest facility.

Nebula's buildings have clear heights of 8 metres (26 feet) and spans of up to 30 metres (98 feet), providing flexibility for occupiers with requirements for large-scale equipment or vehicles including science, technology, and advanced engineering companies. Conventionally, a building of these proportions would pursue steel construction, utilising the material's inherent characteristics to span these large areas without internal support. However, early in the design process, our team conducted a structural materials appraisal, demonstrating how more environmentally conscious materials could achieve the design brief.

MEPC saw the value in adopting more environmentally conscious materials and supported a scheme that replaces steel with glue-laminated timber (glulam) portal frames to span the required clear spaces. This structural material choice has significantly reduced the development's carbon footprint, contributing to an upfront embodied carbon saving of 686 tonnes of carbon dioxide throughout construction, the equivalent of 196 return flights to Hong Kong.

Nebula reflects MEPC¡¯s dedication to supporting innovation, blending design and sustainability creating an attractive work environment for future occupiers to create and thrive.