WORKS COMPLETE ON THE AEROTHERMAL BUILDING FOR LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY
Henry Boot Construction have completed Loughborough University’s National Centre for Combustion and Aerothermal Technology. The new facility consists of two buildings, a new three-storey purpose-built laboratory and the conversion of an existing high bay warehouse into four floors of office accommodation.
The new laboratory is a steel frame construction which is tailored for research and development of future low-emission aero gas turbine combustion systems. It combines office accommodation with eight new test cells, a control room and a process plant room. These bespoke test cells were designed and built in collaboration with the client and will house a range of specialist plant and equipment.
The conversion of the existing high bay warehouse included installation of a steel frame inside the building, that maintains the buildings structural integrity. A composite floor was installed to provide further strength and the existing offices and welfare accommodation were fully refurbished, improving the office environment for academic and research staff.
Henry Boot Construction Design Manager, Philip Lambourne, said "In line with our commitment to BIM level 2 we hosted all information for the project on our online portal or Common Data Environment (CDE). This gives our design team, sub-contractors and client access to all the latest information for the scheme."
Building Information Modelling (BIM) played a vital role in this project, ensuring the building was constructed correctly by identifying potential design issues before they occurred.
Professor John Carrotte, Director of the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre at Loughborough University, said “The Henry Boot team have been keen to work with the Loughborough team to help deliver what is a difficult and challenging project whilst minimising activities of the research team. The construction programme was re-ordered to enable early reoccupation of the workshop which was a real boost for the technicians and the department as a whole.”
Throughout the project, careful planning allowed site works to be carried out whilst staff and students continued to use the building.
