Set within an area of outstanding natural beauty & overlooked from the ancient Ridgeway the new building sets a number of significant challenges to the design team. The client brief required a building for two different functions, namely Test & Handling, which provide integral support to the adjoining research complex. The Test building accommodates the creation & testing of new scientific equipment whilst Handling provides facilities for decommissioning components & completed experiments. Our solution delivers an integrated building set below a unifying roof structure whose gentle curved form complements the rolling landscape. The visual impact of the building on its surroundings is deliberately & significantly reduced by setting it into the adjoining earth mound & stepping the floor slab to reduce its apparent height. The building delivers 70 x 35m of flexible clear-span usable floor space for each facility, both served by full overhead crane coverage. Vehicular service access is provided to each end of both facilities, whilst 4 storeys of offices for 80 people sit over the Test facility to the NE elevation.