Balfour Beatty to build £287M Manchester Engineering Campus

The University of Manchester has contracted Balfour Beatty to carry out its ambitious £287M Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD).

The four year MECD forms part of the University’s decade-long Campus Masterplan, which aims to create a world-class education estate that benefits staff, students and visitors alike.

The development is envisioned as a state-of-the-art facility housing the University’s engineering department, innovative teaching spaces and research concerns such as the Dalton Nuclear Institute and the BP – International Centre for Advanced Materials (BP-ICAM).

Crucially, the MECD will consolidate much of the University’s existing estate onto a single site, creating a compact and environmentally responsible campus that reduces carbon footprint and running costs.

At peak construction the MECD will require a 1,000 strong workforce with apprenticeships and graduate placements on offer. The project team will also employ off-site manufacturing techniques and the latest in BIM technology to optimise construction efficiency and deliver a smart facility to the highest standards possible.

Once complete, the MECD will benefit from ‘green’ construction techniques resulting in smart energy consumption and advanced water recycling and waste systems. The campus will host a wide variety of flexible hi-specification laboratories and lecture spaces and welcome up to 7,000 students and 1,300 staff.

Dean Banks, Managing Director of UK Construction Services at Balfour Beatty, had this to say: “We are delighted to have been appointed to construct the MECD, one of the largest single developments ever undertaken by a higher education institution in the UK.”

Diana Hampson, Director of Estates at The University of Manchester, added: “The Manchester Engineering Campus Development will be a world-leading centre for learning and research. This development is central to the University’s ten-year Campus Masterplan which is creating an exceptional environment for our exceptional people.

“We are providing state-of-the-art facilities that will rival those of our international competitors and help attract world-class academic talent to the institution.”

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