Consultancy firms support development of Sir Henry Royce Institute

13 March 2017 Consultancy.uk

The University of Manchester's new Sir Henry Royce Institute of Materials Research and Innovation will create a world leading centre for material research in the North of England. The construction of the £235 million building, which stands to be completed by the end of 2019, is being supported by three engineering and consultancy firms: Arcadis, Arup and Ramboll.

The Sir Henry Royce Institute of Materials Research and Innovation, centred at the University of Manchester was recently granted planning permission. The institute will focus research efforts on developing innovation in the areas of Energy, Engineering, Functional and Soft Materials – a focus of government research efforts. The new centre, which is receiving £235 million in funding from the government, is also part of the wider ‘Northern Powerhouse’ strategy, and part of the universities wider £1 billion investment in the development of a world class campus.

The centre is housed in a new 16,000 square metre, ten storey building at the heart of the campus, which will contain some of the world leaders in the materials field as well as state-of-the-art technology. According to Diana Hampson, Director of Estates and Facilities at the University, the project is “one of our major capital projects and forms an important part of our vision for the campus and will benefit from its location, close to the National Graphene Institute (NGI) and Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC).”

Arcadis, Arup and Ramboll hired by Sir Henry Royce Institute of Material Research and Innovation project

A number of engineering and consultancy firms worked on the development of the new centre, which is set to open late in 2019. Ramboll has been tasked with the delivery of engineering consultancy services related to civil, structural, vibration, fire and acoustic engineering. Arup has been hired to act as the building services engineer. Arcadis takes on the role of project and cost management services to the development.

According to Colin Bailey, Vice-President and Dean of The University of Manchester's Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, “The Sir Henry Royce Institute will be a world-leading centre for materials research, and is testament to the excellent research taking place at The University of Manchester, the partner institutions and more widely throughout the UK.”