A life sciences job in London’s Canary Wharf originally won by collapsed contractor ISG will be completed by Morgan Sindall.
The tier one contractor announced this morning (9 January) that it is taking on the project at 17 Columbus Courtyard, Canary Wharf after the job was retendered by clients Oaktree Capital Management and LS Estates.
Morgan Sindall will convert a former nine-storey office block in London’s Docklands into a science research and technology hub. According to construction industry data specialist Glenigan, the contract is worth £65m.
Details of the original contract were revealed in March last year, when ISG was confirmed as the contractor, but administrators were appointed for the firm in September.
Morgan Sindall will begin work on site this month to retrofit the offices, which will consist of 17,650 square metres of flexible laboratory and office space. Existing floors will be strengthened to protect sensitive medical equipment from vibrations.
The firm will also overhaul the ground floor to accommodate a new communal cafe, co-working space, meeting rooms and conference facilities. Also included in the works are rooftop extensions and demolition plus the replacement or upgrade of facades, including replacement windows.
LS Estates has estimated that the retention and repurposing of much of the existing building will limit the upfront embodied carbon for the project to 337kg of CO2 emissions per square metre.
Completion of the building, which will be called 17CC, is planned for the third quarter of 2026.
In a statement, LS Estates chief executive Mark Swetman said: “Working in partnership with Morgan Sindall is a positive step towards the redevelopment of 17CC. We look forward to seeing the successful completion of this state-of-the-art research facility, which will form an integral part of the emerging Canary Wharf life science cluster.”
