Kier is delivering a £40.7m all-electric health building for the University of Salford, as part of its multi-million-pound Campus Connectivity Plan - the biggest development of its teaching and research spaces in over a decade.
Part of the University’s School of Health and Society, with over
8,400
students
A state-of-the-art
5,550sq m
all-electric building
The precast concrete façade is built up of
125
prefabricated panels.
"For this complex project we have harnessed the strength of the Kier Group technical offering to enable smooth and effective progression on site. This has included experts from our utilities team, whose consultancy resulted in a substantial saving for our client at the pre-construction stage, our in-house mechanical and electrical team and even our rail transportation team, due to the site’s location near Salford Crescent station.
This project offers the opportunity to leverage our expertise and create a cutting-edge facility that will serve the needs of students, staff, and the wider community for many years to come."
Sarah Morton, regional director for Kier Construction Northern and Scotland
"The new building will be one of the gems in the expanding University of Salford estate. It will house world-class facilities which will help us enrich learning, teaching and research opportunities here in Salford and enable us to support the health and wellbeing of our community too."
Professor Vicky Halliwell, Interim Dean at The School of Health and Society
Our 360 approach in action:
Kier’s 360 approach involved technical capability and expertise from across the Group to provide:
Utilities: Kier’s expert utilities team consulted on the utilities connections for the project, assisting in major sewer and drainage diversions resulting in programme savings for the University. This team also provided an innovative electrical solution, which resulted in a significant budget saving and avoided widespread disruption far beyond the site in order to achieve site connection.
Kier Design: Our in-house design team delivered the temporary works and supported the project team to achieve major foundations efficiencies, saving time and money for the client.
Facades: Our facades specialist team helped to ensure the bespoke prefabricated façade design for the project was both achievable and on-budget.
Mechanical and Electrical: Our in-house experts peer-reviewed the project designs to help ensure smoother delivery of installations during the construction phase.
Rail: Our colleagues within Kier’s Transportation business, currently onsite delivering works at Salford Crescent Station to increase capacity and improve reliability for passengers, supported on the challenge of building within close proximity to a major rail line. This helped ensure Network Rail compliance and has kept the project on track, despite the restrictions at play in this busy urban environment.
A sustainable facility built for the future
This new facility is targeting a rating of BREEAM Excellent and WELL Gold building standards, and will run solely on electric.
The project will showcase modern methods of construction, featuring a concrete façade system, fabricated offsite and installed in a panelised arrangement which provides significant programme safety and sustainability benefits.
Supporting future careers in healthcare
Once complete, the new building will accommodate some of the University’s most popular courses including podiatry, prosthetics and orthotics, sports rehabilitation, occupational therapy and sports science. Plans are also being explored for the delivery of mother and child health sessions, weight management clinics and wellbeing support services. Uniquely, clinical spaces within the facility have been designed to the latest healthcare technical standards, offering flexibility for future use by local health partners.
It will also feature attractive roof space and terraces, as well as delivering a daylight flooded atrium and extensive indoor planting to enhance the sense of wellbeing and healthy living.
As part of Kier’s commitment to leaving a lasting legacy, a comprehensive programme of social value activity is being delivered in and around the area. This includes a proportion of the project value being procured through local SMEs and suppliers, with the potential for work placement and apprenticeship opportunities being created. Local school children and young people will also be given the opportunity to learn about careers in construction through site and classroom visits.