The University of Manchester has selected BAM Construction Ltd as the
preferred bidder to design and build the £61 million National Graphene
Institute (NGI). The contract value for BAM is approximately half of this
amount . Funding has been received by the University of Manchester for the NGI
project from the European Regional Development Fund (£23 million) and the
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (£38 million).
BAM’s
construction director, Ged Flanagan, said: ‘It is particularly pleasing to have
been chosen as preferred contractor for this prestigious project as it
continues our long association with the University of Manchester that included
the construction of the Alan Turing building in 2007. The National Graphene
Institute will be a landmark building in every respect and we are looking
forward to getting started.’
The NGI, designed by architect Jestico + Whiles, will be dedicated to
finding commercial uses for graphene, which was discovered by Manchester’s
Nobel prize winning scientists Professors Andre Geim and Kostantin Novoselov.
The material is 200 times stronger than steel and just one atom thick -
making it the strongest, thinnest and most conductive material ever measured.
Located at the main University campus the NGI will be housed within a
compact 7,626 square metre five-storey building, with a 1,500 square metre
research lab for graphene scientists to collaborate with their colleagues from
industry and other UK universities. This clean-room will be located on the
lower ground floor for minimal vibration. The building will also include a
second clean-room, plus laser, optical, metrology and chemical laboratories,
seminar room and offices and ancillary accommodation.
The Client project team includes EC Harris as lead
consultant undertaking client Project Management and Cost Management functions,
with CH2M Hill the retained consultant providing specialist architectural
laboratory design and M&E consultant services advice. Jestico +
Whiles, as architect, and Ramboll, as civil and structural engineer, will be
novated from EC Harris to BAM. BAM Design will provide technical architect
services.
Work starts on site this month with completion in
2015.
The
National Graphene Institute Project is part financed by the NWOP European
Regional Development Fund Programme 2007 to 2013. The Department for
Communities and Local Government is the managing authority for the European
Regional Development Fund Programme, which is one of the funds established by
the European Commission to help local areas stimulate their economic
development by investing in projects which will support local businesses and
create jobs. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/browse/business/funding-debt/european-regional-development-funding Other
projects completed by BAM on behalf of University of Manchester include work on
the John Rylands Library, the Schuster Laboratory, Woolton Hall, Garstang House
and Core Technology and last year the refurbishment of the Chemistry
Department’s Synthetic Laboratory as well as the roofing and recladding of the
building.
