Work begins on new Clinical Trials Unit
A new Clinical Trials building at Warwick Medical School will provide improved facilities for trials on drug treatments and physical therapies.
The Warwick Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) has grown dramatically since it was established in 2005. A number of international professorial research leaders have been appointed and the Unit has been awarded more than £5 million in grants for clinical trials in cancer, musculo-skeletal and emergency care.
Construction work has begun on the building which will be an extension to the existing Warwick Medical School and will accommodate a team of around 75 academics, researchers, programmers, statisticians and administrative staff.
Professor Yvonne Carter, Dean of Warwick Medical School, said: “The Clinical Trials Unit has successfully established itself as a leading research team in the School. Additional space is needed to help realise our vision for a large, specialist trials centre which co-ordinates trials from conception through to completion.”
The University was awarded £1 million by the Wolfson Foundation towards the cost of the building which is due for completion in September 2009.
The building has been designed with the issue of climate change and energy use in mind. The University has ambitions to set new standards of sustainability in the new CTU building and this has been reflected in the design by MacCormac Jamieson Prichard (MJP Architects).
Matthew Dean, Director at MJP Architects said: “Throughout the design process, the CTU building has been envisaged as an exemplar building in terms of energy use and sustainability strategies”.
The building has been designed to be compact and allow for natural ventilation and natural daylight through a large central atrium. Other features include a combined zinc roof and ‘green’ roof and external solar shading.
Warwick Clinical Trials Unit was set up in 2005 as part of Warwick Medical School and received full registration status from the UKCRC in November 2007.
