World-leading laboratory gains planning approval in Dagenham

A new UCL laboratory with a unique capacity to explore how people interact with their environments has been granted planning permission by Barking and Dagenham Council. Opening in 2021, PEARL (Person-Environment-Activity Research Laboratory), part of UCL Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering's (CEGE) Centre for Transport Studies (CTS), will be the only space in the world where researchers can precisely simulate large-scale environments such as train stations or town centres and test people's reactions to them in detail. The space, which will be UCL's first net zero carbon building, aims to improve quality of life through better infrastructure design but will also facilitate research in a wide range of areas - from medical and brain sciences to smart data, public health and the performing arts. The facility, located near Dagenham East tube station, will be one of the core laboratories in the UK government's EPSRC-funded UK Collaboratorium for Research on Infrastructure and Cities (UKCRIC). Professor Nick Tyler, Director of UCL CTS, said: "PEARL's vision is to create a better world through designing infrastructure that works for everyone, but also by facilitating research and education across a wide range of areas, including the arts, humanities and medical sciences, as well as planning, design and engineering." The Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, Councillor Darren Rodwell, said:  "We're excited to be working with UCL on this ground-breaking research laboratory.