SEEDPOD FOOD + DRINK INNOVATION HUB

Putting businesses at the forefront of innovation, productivity and sustainability

Keppie recently delivered Seedpod, the Food and Drink Innovation Hub for Opportunity North East in Aberdeen. This transformational project puts the region’s businesses at the forefront of innovation, productivity and sustainability, increasing high-value exports and creating new jobs. It plays a key role in green economic recovery, helping businesses and the sector deliver low-carbon production and target net-zero goals.

The SeedPod represents a £21m investment in the food and drink industry, with a focus on a centre of excellence for manufacturing and production in North East Scotland. It was led by Opportunity North East (ONE),with strategic delivery partner SRUC, alongside the UK And Scottish Governments, Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council. The project is located at SRUC’s Craibstone Campus, adjacent to Aberdeen Airport.

The SeedPod formed part of the Aberdeen City Region Deal (ACRD), its objective being to accelerate growth and build on the strengths of the food industry cluster in the North East of Scotland.

VISION

The SeedPod provides a vibrant environment, which encourages and accelerates the number of start-ups and rapidly increases profitable growth of new and existing businesses. The building was designed to offer flexible working space to tenants from specialist food production areas, through to social and office space.

It provides:

• A focal point for businesses to come together to meet other food and drink companies at different stages of their development, and to provide a link between established industry and emerging food and drink related businesses. Integral to this, is a space where people can come together in a formal or informal way, to learn from each other in an area designated as a “Collabatorium”, consisting of café space, areas to facilitate co-working, meeting rooms and space for mentors to work with companies. This area also includes various office spaces to cater for the different requirements of the tenants.
• A flexible demonstrator kitchen, utilised by the Food Hub team, partners and relevant third parties, that host events, holds seminars /showcases/meet the buyer events, demonstrates equipment, and the latest in technology developments.
• 11 incubator units fitted out to a food grade specification, with flooring, surfaces, lighting and ventilation all food approved. Incubator tenants also have access to shared freezers, cold stores and dry storage.
• New Product Development Kitchens with specialist equipment available to tenants and established food and drink businesses in the North East.
• A loading bay, included for the benefit of tenants, development kitchen users and those utilising the demeaner space.

CONCEPT

Programmatically, this is a building of two distinct halves, with a clear division between the industry standard incubator spaces, and the more relaxed co-working spaces, which is evident in materiality, natural light and spatial distribution.

ENVELOPE

The SeedPod commands a prominent hillside position within the site, clearly visible from the A96 on the way into Aberdeen. This position as a ‘gateway’ building to the city, with a distinctive and memorable design, with presence and scale, creates a destination building and a way-marker for those entering the city. The use of a dynamic roof profile and a contextual, yet intriguing and contemporary material palette, strengths the presence of the building and the brand identity of the SeedPod.

Material and envelope strategies, options and decisions were developed in conjunction with the client and in response to feedback from ACC planning.

Discussions were focused on the three aspects, the massing and form of the building and how this re-imagines traditional vernacular forms, the solid base referencing natural granite drystone dykes and walling, with tones of grey, buff and pink, and the metal which is utilised to provide a clear, honest distinction and contrast between old and new, or in the case of SeedPod, the horizontal functional split of the building, and how it responds to the natural topography of the site.

INTERIOR STRATEGY

Rich, natural colours of the Cairngorms and Aberdeen countryside inspired the interior palette, providing a warm and comforting environment through a variety of textures and materials. There is a strong relationship to the exterior landscape, providing natural produce used within the building.

The Seedpod project enabled us to refine our processes and understand the complexities of designing a facility where the adaptability to end-user requirements had driven innovative design solutions, to meet a challenging budget and the overall project aspirations and vision.