It is carrying out the design and construction of the new hub, which has an overall development cost of £35m. The four-storey hub will be built using a post-tensioned concrete frame with piled foundations with precast concrete cladding panels and curtain walling.
Major regeneration and new developments are proposed for the Old Aberdeen campus with a range projects being considered - or getting under way - with a combined cost of almost £100m.
The £35m Science Teaching Hub which is set to open in the first half of 2021.
Principal and vice-chancellor Professor George Boyne cut the first sod on the site of the facility, which will provide teaching labs for students studying biological sciences, biomedical sciences, chemistry, geoscience and physiology.
Elsewhere on campus concepts are being examined to revitalise the historic heart of King’s College in order to reconnect it with the community. New educational spaces are proposed for Cromwell Tower, The Stack and the Senate wing – areas that are either little, or poorly used.
Enhancement proposals are also being explored for the MacRobert Building that will see it become the home for the entire Business School, which is expected to double its student population over the next decade.
Regeneration work is also under way inside the King’s South Quad wing where four traditional lecture theatres last reconfigured in the 1970s are being overhauled to make way for two large collaborative teaching spaces.
Future projects will also include New King’s, with potential remodelling of the interior being considered to create further modern learning environments.
Professor George Boyne, Principal and Vice-Chancellor for the University, said: “Coming in the wake of our single biggest academic recruitment drive in recent years, this is an exciting and dynamic time to be studying and working at the University of Aberdeen, with big investment and bold regeneration ahead.
“Some of the proposals in development will transform estate that has been ‘lost’ over the years and yet exists at the very heart of our campus. As well as bringing neglected spaces back to life, we are looking at creating better connectivity that will open up areas of our campus that will be unknown to many.
“This is the first phase of our vision to bring greater vibrancy and cohesion to the heart of our Old Aberdeen campus and make it the very best it can be as we plan for our next two decades.”
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