The contract marks Henry Brothers’ entry into the northwest following sustained growth across the midlands.
The Manchester projects involves the complete refurbishment of the fourth and fifth floor of the building, which houses one of the largest university chemistry departments in the UK. The project also includes work to the plantroom on level eight, as well as the roof, external ductwork and services.
Henry Brothers will reorganise the layout of the two floors to create flexible lab space with new fume cupboards and fixed benching, dedicated write-up spaces with glazed screens for visibility throughout the lab, new offices and break-out areas.
One of the key features of the project is the external ventilation ducts running up the side of the building that feed into floors four and five (and the other floors in future phases). These ducts will be connected to the existing fans.
Situated on the corner of Upper Brook Street and Dover Street, the Chemistry Building is a seven-storey facility built in the 1960s.
Work has just started on site, with a completion scheduled for April 2023.
The design team includes Gardiner and Theobald as NEC project manager, Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) as quantity surveyor, Halliday Meecham Architects, structural engineer Curtins and EDPI for building services. Subcontractors William Bailey and Electract are providing mechanical and electrical services for Henry Brothers.
This is the first contract for the company at the University of Manchester – procured through the Crown Commercial Services framework – but only the latest in a number of schemes that Henry Brothers has delivered at UK universities, including a £30m refurbishment scheme at the W&S Buildings at Loughborough University.
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