As we speed towards opening the building in a month or so, many of you have asked us to keep you posted on progress. So here's what's been happening.

The team is coming together

Our site team is coming together brilliantly. Amy Bush joined us as General Manager, after years at I-HUB on the White City Campus nurturing and growing a great community there.

Sandamali (Sandy) Dissanayake also started as our Lab Manager: working with Imperial Incubator, she will shape how our labs function day-to-day for the scientists using them.

Construction is progressing at a furious pace

Construction is never without its challenges, but the past few months have been a strong example of what good partnership looks like in practice: solving problems quickly and keeping momentum high.

Completion in June is close now, and we're starting to see more of the building's personality emerge, from the evolving reception space to the bold exterior that reflects the energy of the future community inside.

The next few weeks will see us finalise labs and offices and bring the reception to life. We can't wait.

Old Oak: a cluster coming to life

The launch of Grapht Works at Imperial College London's Old Oak cluster (5 minutes from us) is bringing together an impressive group of companies working across materials, energy and advanced manufacturing.

We're proud that 1 Portal Way will not just sit adjacent to this community but work closely with it, creating a "R&D to plant in 5 minutes" offering that's very unique for London.

A growing, curious community meets on Tuesdays

Our Tuesday Tours have been busier and more interesting than ever.

This month we've brought together mixed groups of founders, researchers, universities and future tenants — often combining visits to both 1 Portal Way and the neighbouring Grapht Works site.

The result has been engaged, cross-disciplinary, cross-university conversations (and good step counts for everyone). From professors at the forefront of convergence science to founders just beginning their journey, the level of curiosity and urgency is unmistakable. This has been one of the most rewarding aspects of our last few weeks.

The sun is shining on 1 Portal Way

As someone put it: "the weather has been really playing ball with you guys."

With brighter days, North Acton artist David Samuel was able to complete the exterior of the building in record time, and the scaffolding has come off.

The exterior is revealing its full palette, bringing colour and identity to the site — a small preview of the vibrant, slightly rebellious and deeply connected community we're building inside.

Finalists at the CN Awards

We're flattered to be nominated finalists in several categories: Best Developer, Best Retrofit & Reuse, Innovative Workspace Design and Project of the Year. Bringing home one of these in the same month we open would be quite something.

Check out CN Life Sciences, Tech & Research Clusters 2026 shortlist

Want to join us?

If you are looking for cost-effective lab and office space in London, look no further: One Portal Way

If you would like to join one of our TuesdayTours, pls get in touch

If you would like to partner with us to support innovators, just join our community