Our Journey 

Forge Knowledge originates in Stevenage, a region with a history of pottery, weaving and forges, and skilled crafts people dating back to Saxon times.

Today this heritage continues with Stevenage, accessibly located at the centre of the UK’s golden triangle,  being the home for the largest concentration of cell and gene therapy companies in Europe including Autolus’ new HQ in the town centre, in the UK’s largest at scale purpose built GMP advanced manufacturing facility.

Anchored by the Cell & Gene Therapy Catapult and GSK alongside a number of global companies in the aerospace, technology, defence and precision engineering sectors.

Our platform offers accommodation for incubators, scale-up, R&D facilities and GMP manufacturing with occupier leasing structures ranging from shell and core to fully fitted purpose-built facilities.

The Problem

In 2020 reacting to the lack of supply of high-quality life science facilities in terms of both place-making and technical requirements we set about creating a prime knowledge platform for the UK.

The Solution

Reef and UBS joined forces to deliver our shared vision - Forge Knowledge.

A network of knowledge districts built on the principles of quality buildings and places designed around the people and communities that use them in a digitally enabled and sustainable environment.

The Product

Ambition

Technical specification and services include:

  • Mechanical & electrical engineering: air handling & ventilation, cooling and heating

  • Energy: zero carbon, efficient consumption & cost

  • Occupier needs: physical layout, spatial configuration, flexibility & cost effective

  • Digital capability: cloud & edge computing, cost-effective storage & processing, resilient, secure & sustainable

  • Knowledge nurture: placemaking, external amenities, services, connectivity & collaboration space, hybrid work solutions 

  • Sustainability: energy, building performance, operations, ESG MRV dashboard

Forge platform is where place and digital converge to create connected communities for learning, innovation, collaboration and discovery.

A future where people, the planet and the economy can thrive.