Longfellow & Wates Group Execute Contract, Begin Immediate Construction at CamLIFE

Cambridge, UK (May 8, 2024) – Longfellow Real Estate Partners, the largest privately held investor and developer of life science buildings, announced today they have signed a fixed price contract to reposition their CamLIFE campus, with the UK’s leading family-owned construction company, Wates.

Construction on CamLIFE is set to begin immediately which will bolster the 42-acre parkland campus while delivering high-quality, fitted lab space, curated amenities, and expansive green space in Cambridge. Delivery of the lab space will begin in Mid-2025 with the Cam 3 building coming online first, with Cam 1 & 2 shortly thereafter.

“Longfellow will deliver the same high quality and sustainable fitted lab space that we have across our 16 million square foot portfolio,” said Adam Sichol, Co-Founder & CEO of Longfellow Real Estate Partners. “At CamLIFE, our team is creating the next generation of developments to meet the demands of the United Kingdom’s innovation economy and support its future growth.”

“The signing of this contract signals a significant milestone for Longfellow UK and further strengthens our commitment to the UK life science market,” said Tom French, UK Lead and Development Director. “This initial phase will be the foundation of what we hope will be a more extensive, broader vision for the campus.”

Longfellow’s commitment to sustainable development underpins the environmental ethos, the campus, and its community. The first phase is targeting BREEAM Excellent and EPC A. The adaptive re-use design approach has led to a 40% whole-life embodied carbon reduction relative to a new-build net-zero equivalent.

With three decades of experience bringing complex life science, advanced manufacturing, research and technology projects to life, Wates is well placed to partner with Longfellow UK to create sustainable, state-of-the-art laboratory buildings. Wates will also work throughout this project with SES Engineering Services, one of the UK’s leading Mechanical and Electrical (M&E) partners, who will lead on design elements and in particular the specialist Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) systems required.

“We are delighted that we have been selected to lead Longfellow’s first UK project to create state-of-the-art laboratory facilities in this world-renowned location,” said Steff Battle, Managing Director of Wates Construction. “Everything we do is guided by our purpose of working together to create the places, communities, and businesses of tomorrow – these are cultural traits we are proud to share with Longfellow and we will work with their team on delivering this important project.”

Longfellow has spearheaded the development of life science clusters throughout the United States. With more than 16 million square feet located in key biotech markets, Longfellow continues to partner with and support innovative companies and institutions in leading regions.

For more information on CamLIFE, please visit: https://camlife.co.uk/

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About Longfellow Real Estate Partners
Longfellow Real Estate Partners is a real estate investment company founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 2009. With approximately 200 employees in bio-innovation clusters across the US and UK, Longfellow partners with renowned universities and pioneering life sciences and technology companies to help bring visionary ideas to life. Driven by a passion to support those working to advance the human condition, Longfellow continues to grow and expand in the name of scientific progress. For more information, visit https://lfrep.com.

About Wates
Established in 1897, we are the UK’s leading family-owned development, building and property maintenance company. In 2023 we employed over 4,000 people and generated profits of £46.2m from a turnover of £2.18bn, working with a wide range of public and private sector customers and partners. Now in our fourth generation of family ownership, we’re committed to the long-term sustainability of the built environment and to making our industry more inclusive and representative of the communities we work in. We are one of The Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality 2023 and an Investors in People Gold accredited company. We are driven by our shared purpose of working together to inspire better ways of creating the places, communities and businesses of tomorrow.

Our Construction business, the largest arm of the Group, works with our partners to create a more sustainable built environment and deliver legacies for the communities in which we work. We deliver complex projects across a range of sectors, including education, residential, healthcare, commercial, and emergency services. wates.co.uk/construction

Press/Media Contact
Casey Angel: Director, Corporate Communications
+1 (619) 400-7990 • cangel@lfrep.com