BAM Construction has won a £23 million contract to build the University of Liverpool’s new Materials Innovation Factory.
Designed by the Manchester-based Fairhursts Design Group, the new £65 million facility will be located in Grove Street and house 250 researchers who will work on the discovery of new materials that the university has said could have the potential to save energy and natural resources, improve health, and even transform manufacturing processes.
The construction will be in partnership with the consumer goods group Unilever and has been supported by the Higher Education Funding Council for England as part of the Government’s Research Partnership Investment Fund.
The existing lecture theatre will be demolished to make way for the construction of the four-floor 120,000 square foot block, incorporating research laboratories and offices. Work will commence in Novemeber 2014 and is expected to be completed by July 2016.
Ged Flanagan, construction director at BAM Construction said:
“This is an exciting project with a high technical specification and we are looking forward to starting on site and working with the project team to deliver this leading research facility for the University of Liverpool.”
Anthony Mulhearn, project manager at The University of Liverpool, said: “We are delighted to be moving the MIF project to the next stage with the appointment of BAM Construction to build this world-class facility and one which we are very proud to bring to Liverpool. This contemporary building clearly reflects our aspirations and provides the ideal environment to further our relationships with industry partners.”