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Fri March 29 2024

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Bowmer & Kirkland takes Newcastle science block project

13 Nov 15 Bowmer & Kirkland has won a £45.3m contract for the next building in the Newcastle Science City initiative.

Newcastle's Urban Sciences Building
Newcastle's Urban Sciences Building

The Urban Sciences Building (USB) is the second building planned for Science Central, a 24-acre development by the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and Newcastle City Council.

The first building on the site, The Core, opened in November 2014.

The proposed design for the USB will provide approximately 13,000m2 of teaching and research space.

As a centre for urban sustainability research the building has been designed by architect Hawkins Brown to be highly sustainable itself. A rooftop wild-flower meadow is planned to promote local biodiversity. The design prepares the building to connect to Science Central’s future district heating infrastructure and integrates with an increased sustainable urban drainage system for the wider masterplan.

A modular façade system has been proposed to reduce on-site waste. Patterning to the facades, designed in collaboration with Martyn Dade-Robertson, an academic at Newcastle University, provides shading to prevent over-heating in summer months.

Bowmer & Kirkland is expected to complete by August 2017.

Science Central is a £250m project bringing together academia, the public sector, communities, business and industry to create a centre for urban innovation in the city. The site was originally the Elswick Colliery, then later the production centre for Newcastle Brown Ale.

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MPU
MPU

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