UK university project

Designs for a £150 million (€178.68 million) building at the University of Manchester in the UK have been unveiled.

Arcadis, Arup, Laing O’Rourke, architects NBBJ and Ramboll are to build the Henry Royce Institute at the university as part of a £235 million (€279.85 million) project that will, it is claimed, be the UK’s leading centre for advanced materials research and commercialisation.

Located at the heart of the University of Manchester’s Engineering Campus, the 16,000m² building is expected to open in 2019. At 46m high, the Institute is expected to be the tallest building on campus and a prominent new landmark on the Manchester skyline.

Mel Manku, partner at Arcadis, said, “Building on our successful delivery of the National Graphene Institute (NGI) and development of the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC), we understand the importance of this nationally significant project, and are privileged to be able to influence the benefits this scheme will bring to Manchester and the UK.”

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Manchester, said, “The Henry Royce Institute building will be a stunning addition to the University of Manchester campus, and will become a focal point for the UK’s research and commercialisation of advanced materials.”

Diana Hampson, director of estates and facilities at the university, said, “This is one of our major capital projects and forms an important part of our vision for the campus and will benefit from its location, close to the NGI and GEIC.”

The design of the Henry Royce Institute building will promote “science on show”, with laboratories revealing their complex workings, alongside spaces for visitor engagement, and displays of research material and products.

Work on the Henry Royce Institute building will begin early in 2017 and is expected to be fully operational by late 2019.

Project and Cost Management is provided by Arcadis, civil and structural engineering by Ramboll UK, ARUP is the building services engineer, Gilllespies is the landscape architect and the main contractor is Laing O’Rourke.