Byrom Street campus update

24 November 2009

A number of major projects are nearing completion at the Byrom Street site with a new flagship building for the University and an external facade that provides more than a facelift.

The Tom Reilly Building is on schedule for completion at the end of this week with the Schools of Psychology and Natural Sciences and Sports Science taking occupation ready for the beginning of the new semester in January 2010.  

The building has been two years in the making and will provide the very best facilities for students, researchers and staff in those subject areas.  A separate news item will appear next week on the building after the University officially takes possession from the contractors. 

The cladding works have transformed the front of Byrom Street and work will continue on the site to ensure that the building is weatherproof, watertight and insulated.  Once the cladding work on the main building is complete, the heating system will be regulated to ensure an even temperature throughout.  The cladding system will then be applied to the west elevation of Byrom Street and designs are now being developed for the engineering workshops to the rear of the main building.

The Byrom Street car park will remain closed in order that essential works and redevelopment can carry on at the site throughout 2010.

In January, work will commence on the installation of a new primary sub-station and high voltage infrastructure to improve and enhance the electrical capacity at Byrom Street.  The main contractors for this work will begin on site at the start of the year to test the ground before large scale excavation begins to dig the trenches for installing the network of cables.