Celebrating 25 Years of the Flowers Building

The Flowers Building, Imperial’s hub for infectious disease research in South Kensington, is celebrating 25 years of scientific discovery.

The Flowers Building is a landmark for research in infectious diseases. Designed by Norman Foster & Partners, the building has been home to generations of researchers, shaping careers and fostering scientific breakthroughs. A detailed overview of the building’s design can be found on the Foster + Partners website.

The anniversary celebration welcomed back two eminent alumni, Professors Gordon Dougan and Douglas Young, whose vision helped define the scientific rationale for the project. Both played pivotal roles in establishing the Centre of Molecular Microbiology and Infection (CMMI) within the building, combining ambitious science with practical architectural solutions.

"It was a real treat to welcome Gordon and Douglas back, both as experts in the fields of vaccines and TB, but also as colleagues who played landmark roles in many of our careers." Professor Shiranee Sriskandan Co-Director, Centre for Bacterial Resistance Biology

Speaking at the event, Professor Dougan delivered a guest lecture titled ‘Affordable Buildings and Vaccines’, reflecting on the process of securing funding from the Wellcome Trust for the new Centre. In a two-part talk, he detailed the challenges of balancing cost and functionality during construction - highlighting quirks such as the industrial-style ceiling and concrete pillar in the G47A seminar room - and shared insights from a career dedicated to making vaccines accessible, including work on typhoid immunisation.

Professor Shiranee Sriskandan, Co-Director of the Centre for Bacterial Resistance Biology, said: ‘It was a real treat to welcome Gordon and Douglas back, both as experts in the fields of vaccines and TB, but also as colleagues who played landmark roles in many of our careers. Gordon Dougan was the internal examiner for my very first PhD student, while Douglas Young was Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases in the early 2000s, when we were part of Investigative Science and I became a Reader.’ 

Since that time, the Centre has expanded to include academics working on other campuses, although the Flowers building retains its status as the centre of gravity for CBRB.

Reflecting on the early days of the project, Professor Brian Robertson said: ‘My memories are of walks across the park from St Mary’s to South Kensington with Douglas Young for meetings about the project application, and then, once it was awarded, further walks in all weathers to meet with Imperial, the Wellcome Trust, the architects, project managers, and engineers to discuss what we wanted compared to what we could afford. We had to calculate thermal output for each room, convince architects that plain stainless steel sinks would suffice, and even transport a -80 freezer in packing crates with dry ice because it no longer fit through the goods lift! These were challenging but exciting times.

I remember great seminars, lively parties, and the sense that we were part of something important. The students and postdocs who worked alongside us made things happen in the lab, and many continue to have outstanding careers across the UK and around the world. While there were grumpy meetings and frustrating rejections, overall, the building - and, more importantly, the people in it - have had a profound impact on the careers of many over the last 25 years, and I hope they continue to do so.’

The anniversary concluded with a reception celebrating the building, the science, and the community that has thrived within its walls, highlighting 25 years of achievement and collaboration in infectious disease research.