Henry Brothers finish £30m Loughborough project ‘on time’

The long-term development – one of the largest refurbishment projects ever carried out at the university – was undertaken meticulously in 19 different phases over more than two years to enable university staff and students to carry on with their work and to minimise disruption.

It included the complete internal refurbishment of both the W and S buildings in the West Park area of the campus.

The scheme involved upgrading labs, offices, study areas, lecture theatres, kitchens, toilets and refreshment venues to create light, airy and modern amenities, with state-of-the-art equipment, first-class teaching and learning facilities, and attractive break out spaces.

More than 17,000 sq m of space over three floors has been refurbished and modernised in the two 1960s buildings, which are linked.

Officially known as the Sir David Davies building, the W building houses Chemistry and Physics within the School of Science, and the Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering - one of the biggest engineering schools of its kind in the UK.

It is also one component of the new School of Architecture, created as a direct response to the changing needs of architectural practise.

The S building houses Materials and Chemical Engineering and is also the home of the Loughborough Materials Characterisation Centre, which provides a wide range of analytical services to support university research and consultancy services for business.

The buildings remained in occupation during the extensive refurbishment scheme, which was the latest in a number of projects undertaken by Henry Brothers at universities in the East Midlands and follows the £17m STEMLab project at Loughborough University, a multidisciplinary science and engineering teaching building completed in 2017.

Henry Brothers Midlands managing director Ian Taylor said: “Every member of the team involved in the refurbishment of the W and S buildings can be truly proud of what has been achieved at this site. It really is a top-class refurbishment scheme which has transformed a pair of 1960s buildings into two high-quality facilities, which are a fantastic environment in which to research, teach and learn.”

Mr Taylor added that the firm was delighted to hand over the two facilities “on time and within budget”.