wilkinson eyre: dyson research and development campus

wilkinson eyre has completed a research and development campus for british technology company dyson. designed to be a state-of-the-art complex — in line with facilities in silicon valley and singapore — the campus is located on the outskirts of the english town of malmesbury in wiltshire. costing a total of £250 million ($330 million USD), the scheme integrates the firm’s existing headquarters and factory alongside new additions: the D9 research and development building, the lightning café, and the ‘hangar’, which provides sports and leisure amenities for employees.

all images courtesy of wilkinson eyre / dyson research limited

designed by wilkinson eyre 20 years ago, the site’s existing buildings have undergone extensive internal changes to facilitate dyson’s growth. as part of the brief, the surrounding landscape has been enhanced to offer more privacy and prevent direct views into the building. the greenery connects to the existing nature walk, which surrounds the perimeter of the site. the campus now provides a total of 129 advanced research laboratories and new collaborative spaces for engineers.

the scheme integrates the firm’s existing headquarters and factory alongside new additions

D9, the largest of the new structures, is clad with highly reflective glazed panels designed to obscure views into the building. the mirrored façade reflects the surrounding greenery, while rooftop photovoltaic panels allow the building to generate its own electricity. lighting is provided by dyson lighting’s cu-beam suspended lights and CSYS task lights, which were developed by jake dyson.

the lightning café (left) and the D9 research and development building (right)

in contrast, the new café and meeting room pavilion is highly transparent with double-height spaces that showcase james dyson’s preserved english electric lightning jet, hung from the ceiling. to the north-east, ‘the hangar’ forms a new multi-purpose sports center available to all dyson employees. the project continues wilkinson eyre’s longstanding association with dyson, with the architects recently designing a concept store in central london for the tech giant.

james dyson’s preserved english electric lightning jet is hung from the ceiling

‘we have worked with james and his team over a number of years to create a campus which accommodates their changing needs,’ says chris wilkinson, founding director at wilkinson eyre. ‘the latest buildings provide innovative state-of-the-art design research facilities together with a sizeable all-day cafe and a sports activity center to serve the technical and social needs of their creative young workforce.’

double-height spaces maximize natural light

‘it is out of critical glare, in stimulating spaces, surrounded by engineering inspiration and design icons, that bright minds can breathe life into ideas, readying them for the market,’ adds james dyson, founder and chairman at dyson. ‘bolstering our in-house testing facilities, these new labs and spaces allow engineers to continue to boldly develop new technology, learning through every failure.’

a spiral staircase is located at the heart of the space