Office Principles wins brief from Coventry's UKBIC

Office interior design consultancy Office Principles North has been chosen to deliver two new projects that will upgrade facilities at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) in Coventry.

The Midlands-based firm will design and construct a two-storey mezzanine and new laboratory space at the national battery manufacturing development facility, near Coventry Airport.

The initial 20-week project will create up to 8,000 sq ft of open plan office space, meeting and conference rooms in the warehouse process hall. The extension will connect to the building’s second floor via a new link bridge attached to the main building and will involve steel and M&E works.

Phase two will see the creation of a single storey structure housing c.3,000 sq ft of new laboratory space for exploratory work. It will be fitted out to modern standards, and will include wipe down surfaces, electrostatic flooring, and air conditioning. 

Office Principles North will deliver all works in a live environment and will employ sound proofing and dust monitoring equipment to ensure optimum air quality. Both projects will be delivered in collaboration with Ridge and Partners LLP and AtkinsRéalis, and are in addition to a new enhanced battery laboratory which is also currently under construction. 

Gary Tailby, joint managing director of Office Principles North, said: “We are delighted to further our relationship with UKBIC, having initially worked together more than two years ago. We will be creating much needed new space for the UK’s growing battery sector and helping to ensure that this highly important operation in Coventry continues to flourish.

“The design for the new extension has been developed in collaboration with UKBIC and will involve the installation of steelwork within the existing concrete floor. As air quality is critical in a battery production environment, we’ll be taking additional measures to ensure that appropriate levels of cleanliness are maintained at all times.”

UKBIC opened in July 2021 and is used by organisations with new or existing battery technologies.
It recently secured £38 million in funding to upgrade the facility’s scale-up capabilities in support of innovation projects for high-tech developers and users of battery technologies. The new funding, announced as part of the autumn statement, is principally for UKBIC’s innovative flexible scale-up line, and builds upon the £36 million already committed by the Faraday Battery Challenge in May 2023.