Requiring a series of campus-wide decants and rationalisations to clear the building and provide upgraded facilities for decanted departments, the primary driver for the project was to create a designated space for the New Medical School, that could be collocated with other medical based courses and training around a consolidated set of bespoke and vocational based teaching facilities., Works included AV-enabled consultation rooms, medical skills labs, mock wards, an anatomy suite using plastinates, and associated students and staff support spaces. Simultaneously, an upgraded floor for the Psychology department was delivered, retaining existing layouts where suitable while meeting new teaching and dry laboratory requirements.

The ground floor saw a partial strip out and extension of Cat 2 laboratory space for Chemical Engineering, including walk-in fume cupboards and adaptable benching supported by overhead service modules. A raked lecture theatre was also transformed into a flexible group learning space linked to an upgraded learning lobby.

Significantly, uncoupling Quad North’s role as centralised plant facility for other adjacent buildings, allowed for a comprehensive upgrade to all primary and incoming services and the introduction of PVs at roof level.

We were appointed to deliver architectural and interior design services, contract administration, and client monitoring. Operating under tight programme constraints, live research projects and swing space delivery, the works were split into six phases to ensure completion in line with grant award requirements.  Construction was carried out in a live environment, with many original services undocumented and some areas untouched since the 1960s.

BIM (in accordance with Brunel’s ‘BIM Lite’ standards) and remote collaboration tools were pivotal, allowing design development, stakeholder engagement, and clash detection to proceed efficiently. During the Medical School fit-out, significant mid-phase design changes prompted by new academic appointments required rapid re-documentation and contractor coordination. This was successfully managed by deploying senior contract administrators, engaging with the contractors and reprogramming phases and access on less time critical elements of the project.

The project also required complex service coordination through legacy asbestos-lined service trenches across campus. Specialist contractors carried out confined-space cable runs, underpinned by extensive surveys and collaborative programming.