On 4th October, Prof. Roy Sambles opened the new Institute of Physics(IOP) building in Kings Cross. Although it was first part-occupied in October 2018, it was on Friday October 4th 2019 that the four most recent past presidents, in chronological order – Professor Sir Peter Knight, Dame Frances Saunders, Professor Roy Sambles and Dame Julia Higgins, who had seen the project through from a building site to it being fully occupied, together cut the ribbon to mark the official opening.
The new building is the first time the Institute Of Physics (IOP), founded as the Physical Society in 1874, has owned its own building (estimated value £30m). The IOP(of the UK and Ireland) has about 50,000 members and its new building boasts the following:
- It is innovative in construction with solar panels on the roof and ground source heating designed to have a minimal impact on the environment.
- It showcases a wide range of physics through interactive displays and with an exhibition which illustrates some of the biggest ideas in Physics.
- This new building helps professional physicists develop their careers, gain recognition for their work and connect to networks that influence the physics landscape.
There is a large auditorium and a number of smaller meeting rooms available for members to book for events as well as a quiet members area. Physics start up businesses are also able to hire space in the building.