Morgan Sindall’s North West team began have begun construction on a new Veterinary School for the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)
The project involves renovating part of an existing building and constructing a new four-story structure on UCLan’s Preston Campus. The aim is to create a state-of-the-art learning space for veterinary medicine and animal science students.
The school will span almost 50,000 square feet and will serve as a modern hub for students pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
The veterinary school will have top-of-the-range accessibility features
The building has been designed with accessibility standards in mind, aiming to provide support for students with diverse learning needs.
It will feature specialised training facilities, such as advanced anatomical skills labs, simulated surgery rooms, diagnostic areas, pharmacies, microscopy labs, dental spaces, and immersive classrooms.
Certain areas of the existing Greenbank Building will be renovated. This includes creating a specific space for kennels, adding new simulated consultation rooms, and setting up a physiotherapy suite.
The veterinary school aligns with UCLan’s strong commitment to ‘one health’ and sustainability. Morgan Sindall is aiming to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating for the building.
Morgan Sindall is working with suppliers to embrace MMC
For example, delta beams are being used in the new building’s structural frame. This will lower the building’s carbon footprint and speed up the project timeline.
“Our team has been working collaboratively with UCLan through the preconstruction stage to develop Intelligent Solutions that will enhance the learning environment and enable the university to be more sustainable,” said Richard Potts, area director for Morgan Sindall Construction.
“We are thrilled to be contributing to economic growth and the advancement of veterinary practitioners within Lancashire, as well as helping to make the University and its community an increasingly attractive place to live, work and study,” he continued.
The building will also accommodate Anatomage virtual dissection tables and various simulated clinical setups. This new technology will establish UCLan as a pioneering institution, among the first globally, to incorporate state-of-the-art technology into veterinary education.
The project is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025
“This is an exciting time, and it is a huge step forward for us. Creating an accessible, sustainable, and state-of-the-art building, which will house world-class clinical simulation and teaching spaces, will allow us to deliver innovative and practically relevant teaching to a diverse community of students,” commented Dr Heather Bacon OBE, dean of UCLan’s School of Veterinary Medicine.
“I’m very excited to see the building’s progress, and it will be incredible to call somewhere a home on campus. The architecture, as well as proximity to the central campus, is brilliant, and I can’t wait to use the state-of-the-art facilities,” concluded Dr Bacon.
