For over 150 years, the Cavendish Laboratory has been pushing back the frontiers of knowledge. Established in 1874 and boasting 31 Nobel Laureates, the Cavendish Laboratory is where JJ Thomson discovered the electron, Rutherford split the atom, and Crick and Watson decoded the structure of DNA. From the smallest building blocks of atoms to the most distant reaches of the cosmos, Cavendish scientists and technicians have opened up new views of nature and changed the world in the process. 

The building was designed by the architectural practice Jestico + Whiles and replaces the existing facilities for the Department of Physics. Named after the inventor and sound engineer Dr Ray Dolby, the building was made possible through the generosity of the Dolby family. The laboratories span the whole of physics research and now serve as a national centre providing opportunities for collaborative use of facilities, research and instruments by other departments as well as partners in other universities and across the industry.

Drinkall Dean were commissioned to rehouse and display the Cavendish’s Museum historic scientific instruments and archive photos that celebrate the legacy of discovery that existed in the previous building. The interpretation showcases the scientific research of the Cavendish Laboratory, past and present, including a case dedicated to the life and work of Ray Dolby himself. 

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studio HB worked closely with Drinkall Dean to create a suite of object layouts, showcases and graphics allowing the details to complement the architecture and with a fresh, modern and sharp aesthetic. A clean palette with accents of orange reflected the buildings copper clad internal cantilevered wall - aligning the exhibition with the design and ethos of this ground breaking research facility that ‘showcases the science’, by opening the laboratory’s research up to the community, promoting physics and inspiring the next generation of researchers.