Contractor announced for £17m Lyell Centre
The main contractor for the new Lyell Centre for Earth and Marine Science and Technology, which will be the Scottish headquarters for the British Geological Survey (BGS)as well as a major joint BGS/Heriot-Watt University research centre for geological, petroleum and marine sciences, has been announced as Morrison Construction, part of Galliford Try plc.
Under the £9.6m design and construct contract Morrison Construction will construct and deliver the new state-of-the-art Lyell Centre on existing vacant land within the University’s Edinburgh Campus.
The Centre will provide offices, research laboratory areas, aquarium laboratories and associated working areas, a central core containing welfare facilities, ancillary meeting areas, as well as external landscaped areas.
Professor Murray Roberts, Co-ordinator of the Lyell Centre, said, “We are really pleased to see the Lyell Centre moving into the construction phase. A lot of work over the last two years has got us here, on time and on budget. Over the next year Heriot-Watt is embarking on an ambitious £8.5m recruitment drive to appoint new research stars to move into the Lyell Centre and drive it forward. The Lyell Centre is working at the interfaces of applied geoscience, ecology and technology – and we need this interdisciplinary approach to tackle the grand challenges of energy supply and sustainable development in a changing world.”
John Ludden, Executive Director BGS, said, “BGS is delighted that the contract for the Lyell Centre has been agreed and building can commence on an exciting new opportunity for the British Geological Survey and Heriot Watt University to strengthen our capabilities and build new areas of co-operation.”
Eddie Robertson, Regional Director, Morrison Construction said, “We are delighted to have been selected by Heriot-Watt University and The British Geological Survey to construct this major new project at the University’s Edinburgh Campus. This appointment reflects our strong reputation and market presence within the education sector. We look forward to working with Heriot-Watt University and The British Geological Survey to create the top class facilities the students and staff deserve.”
Work will commence in December and is expected to last about a year.
For further information please contact:
Caroline Dempster
Press officer
Heriot-Watt University
Tel: 0131 451 3443
Notes:
The Lyell Centre for Earth and Marine Science and Technology, to be constructed at Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh Campus, will form a £21m purpose-built research and collaborative centre for the University and the British Geological Survey (BGS).
Scheduled for completion in early 2016, the Centre will bring together key expertise from both institutions and provide a unique opportunity for strategic growth through research-led development with an interdisciplinary and innovative applied geoscience technology focus.
The emphasis of the Centre’s work will be at the intersection of the earth and marine sciences. Research in the Lyell Centre will examine all sides of the intractable problems of ensuring sustainable energy and resource supply while understanding its environmental impact and mitigating the effects of global climate change. Its work will be both socially and industrially relevant at national and international scales.
The Lyell Centre will be underpinned by a £8.5m investment in top-level academic recruitment providing a huge opportunity for earth and marine science in general and for Scotland in particular.
Galliford Try plc is a leading UK housebuilding and construction group. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and a member of the FTSE 250. The housebuilding business – through its Linden Homes brand – sells distinctive homes to the public and affordable homes to housing associations and local authority providers. The construction business carries out building and infrastructure work across the UK with clients ranging from major Government departments through to regulated utilities and private sector companies. At the end of the last financial year to 30 June 2014, the Group generated revenues of £1.8 billion.
Issued December 2014