The Apex, the first building within London’s largest purpose-built life  sciences development, TRIBECA, has completed in Kings Cross. Designed by Bennetts Associates for  Reef Group, The Apex offers 112,526 sq ft of state-of-the-art office and laboratory space across six  floors. It is the first of five buildings planned for construction, forming part of a bespoke mixed-use  development. Following its completion in 2026, the scheme will deliver nearly 1 million sq ft of  premium workspace, laboratories, retail and residential space in the heart of London’s Knowledge  Quarter and biotech cluster. 

Situated on the site of the former Royal Mail sorting office, often dubbed the ‘Ugly Brown Building’,  The Apex will provide occupiers with a large open reception and ground floor café that sits level with  the canal. There will also be extensive support facilities at the ground and basement levels, a roof terrace, and best-in-class commercial and laboratory space across all floors.  

The Francis Crick Institute is supporting 52,000 sq ft of space in the Apex and The London BioScience  Innovation Centre (“LBIC”) has signed a lease on 39,000 sq ft of space or c. 35% of the building, offering state-of-the-art scale-up lab facilities to its growing customer base as a world-leading  destination for bioscience research and development. One of LBIC’s first occupiers at The Apex is  Baseimmune, a discovery stage biotech developing universal vaccines with variant-proof antigens. 

Bennetts Associates’ design allows for optimum flexibility for tenants seeking unique working  environments. A variety of lab and office configurations will also be realised via the hybrid base  building which utilises a structural frame. Additionally, the servicing strategy enables a blend of uses,  integrating additional riser space zones within core areas and drainage provision, whilst providing an  enhanced ventilation system for lab use. 

The Apex is the UK’s first large-scale building to use site subsoil as a construction material. The  project has used excavated clay to make 13,000 Earth blocks, which in turn, have been used for the perimeter walls of the building’s basement in place of block work.  

Unlike standard blockwork, which has limited recycling potential, Earth blocks can be broken down  and reused, or returned to nature at the end of their lifespan. As such, the Earth block can store the building resource within the walls of the development throughout the lifetime of the building. When  compared to medium-density cement blockwork, the earth blocks emit only one-tenth of the CO2. 

This natural material also brings climatic benefits to buildings – it regulates indoor temperature and  humidity levels and purifies the air by trapping airborne pollutants. 

The Apex is on target to reach BREEAM Excellent rating which strongly aligns with Reef Group’s ESG  commitments. 

In keeping with the unique tapestry of materials of the Regent’s Canal, a palette of traditional  materials including brickwork have been incorporated in the exterior of the design. The variation of  tone across the buildings and landscaping has been developed to complement and enhance the rich  materiality of the nearby Kings Cross conservation area. 

Peter Langly-Smith, Development Director at Reef Group, said, “It has been a pleasure working  alongside Bennetts Associates to design and complete the first building at TRIBECA. Seeing our joint  efforts come to fruition is testament to our innovative collaboration. The completion of The Apex  brings us a step closer in delivering London’s largest purpose-built science campus to date, both supporting the UK life sciences sector to expand and compete globally as well as offering a home to  life sciences businesses from start-up to commercialization.” 

Gavin Pike, Associate Director at Bennetts Associates, said, “TRIBECA is a significant project we’ve  been working closely with Reef Group on for eight years. The Apex sets the tone for the campus, which sits at the centre of what is set to be London’s largest life sciences development. Once  complete, TRIBECA will provide a new community for occupiers to collaborate and innovate in a  contemporary canal side environment.” 

TRIBECA is set to complete in 2026.