10 July 2025
A groundbreaking ceremony marked the official start of work on the construction of a new cutting-edge facility for meteorological research and forecasting on Whiteknights campus.
Lord Vallance, Minister of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, led the event on Wednesday 9 July, at the site of the new headquarters for the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) at Earley Gate.
Also in attendance were key stakeholders in the project including ECMWF Directors; Penny Endersby, CEO of the Met Office and President of ECMWF Council; Mark Bourgeois, CEO at the Government Property Agency (GPA), which is delivering the scheme; and representatives of the University of Reading; Mace, design and build construction partners; project advisors Atkins Realis; and architects BDP.
Construction of the modern, accessible and highly sustainable headquarters, which is being funded through the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), is expected to be ready for occupation in early 2027.
ECMWF will move from its existing Reading premises on Shinfield Road, where it has been for half a century, to the new headquarters.
Once operational the building will accommodate up to 300 scientists and staff to support world-leading work on all aspects of weather prediction systems, forecast production and research into Climate Change.
The state-of-the-art facility will support the use of the latest advances made in areas such as data assimilation, earth system modelling, predictability and reanalysis to improve weather predictions and understanding of climate.
With the University's Department of Meteorology and parts of the UK Met Office, National Environment Research Council (NERC), National Centre for Atmospheric Sciences (NCAS) and National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO) all currently located within the University - and the new ECMWF headquarters soon to operate from the nearby site - is home to an exceptional cluster of weather, climate research and operational forecasting facilities.
Lord Vallance, UK Science Minister, said: “The UK is proud to continue to host the headquarters of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. This state-of-the-art facility places the UK at the heart of international efforts that are helping us to make better sense of our weather and climate.
“By improving our weather predictions we can optimise our energy consumption estimates, adjust transport schedules effectively and give our farmers time to prepare for extreme weather - helping people and businesses to save money, cut energy use and stay safe."
Speaking at the ceremony, Professor Robert Van de Noort, University of Reading Vice-Chancellor, said: “It is great to see the progress being made by GPA and Mace with the construction, and we look forward to welcoming ECMWF onto our beautiful campus next year. It is with confidence that I say that co-location will lead to new synergies and allow innovation and new ideas to flourish.”
Florence Rabier, ECMWF Director General, said: “After 50 years at Shinfield Park in Reading, we are pleased that this move to state-of-the-art sustainable premises will provide excellent facilities for our staff and visitors, and bring us even closer to many colleagues at the university.
“ECMWF is an intergovernmental organisation with 35 member and cooperating states that have built a strong international collaboration with each of these countries’ meteorological services. As well as traditional numerical weather prediction and research, together with our member and cooperating states, we are spearheading the artificial intelligence/machine learning revolution in weather science for the benefit and protection of citizens.”
Mark Bourgeois, the GPA’s CEO, said: “It is a landmark occasion to get construction underway of this new facility, which has been designed to industry-leading net zero carbon standards. This project is a perfect example of cross-government collaboration which will deliver a modern, inspirational and energy-efficient headquarters for ECMWF’s forecasting, research and training functions, retaining a world-leading scientific organisation and attracting long-term investment into the region.
“It's another milestone for us at the GPA to deliver smart, modern, sustainable and digitally connected workplaces that focus on supporting productivity and wellbeing.”
Image captions: (Top) Minister Vallance speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony; (middle) A gift is presented to Andy Brown, ECMWF Director of Research, by Robert Van de Noort, University Vice-Chancellor; (bottom) Representatives from all the organisations involved pose for a photo in front of the ECMWF headquarters construction site. Photo credit ECMWF
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