UK-based construction services provider Willmott Dixon has completed the first phase of construction of the £46.5m School of Engineering development at the University of Birmingham, by implementing Covid-19 safe working practices.
The university and the UK Rail Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN) have teamed up to commission the new Centre of Excellence for Digital Systems facility.
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Research England, a part of United Kingdom Research and Innovation, has provided £16.4m funding for the facility, which is located within the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE).
The 3,000m² facility, which is designed by Associated Architects, has been procured through the Constructing West Midlands framework.
It offers a variety of contemporary and flexible design and research spaces and also includes open offices, meeting rooms, seminar rooms and event spaces that allow industry partners to work directly with university experts and researchers.
The facility includes project labs, light labs and equipment, including cab simulators, a signalling control centre and cybersecurity test lab, along with electronic fabrication and technology assets.
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By GlobalDataIt also features Corten cladding to give the same visual impact as railway lines and track signalling and is created to align with the rail industry.
Willmott Dixon Midlands deputy managing director Nick Gibb said: “Despite completing the final stages of the project during the Covid-19 pandemic, our teams optimised industry-leading safety and social distancing measures, which meant we were able to remain on-site during the pandemic and ultimately deliver this phase of the project on time.
“This development is the third major partnership we have entered into with the University of Birmingham, having recently completed the Teaching and Learning Building, along with the Green Heart campus development. We look forward to completing the second and final stage of the School of Engineering project in early 2021.”
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Centre of Excellence for Digital Systems facility is located within the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education. (Credit: Willmott Dixon.)
