The three-storey, 1,300 square metre building is designed to accommodate flexible office and laboratory workspace for smaller businesses
Exeter Science Park is owned by Devon County Council, the University of Exeter, East Devon District Council and Exeter City Council. The new building is called the 鈥楪row-out Building鈥� and is aimed at small and medium enterprises working in the science, technology, engineering, maths and medical sectors.
It is one of the projects put forward by the Heart of the South West local enterprise partnership (LEP) for a slice of the UK government鈥檚 Getting Building Fund - a 拢900m stimulus package aimed at delivering 鈥榮hovel-ready鈥� infrastructure projects to stimulate economic growth. The LEP
To celebrate the start on-site, and in light of coronavirus restrictions, Exeter Science Park hosted a virtual ground-breaking ceremony on 12 February. In attendance was Sally Basker, CEO of Exeter Science Park as well as Karl Tucker, Chair of the HoTSW LEP.
Construction is scheduled to complete before the end of 2021.聽
Grainge Architects鈥� design for the building has been given a BREEAM 鈥楨xcellent鈥� certification. Solar panels will be installed on the building to offset energy consumption.
Brian Rice, area director for Morgan Sindall 今日看料, said: 鈥淲ith a net-zero carbon design, the development exemplifies the standard new builds should strive for if the UK is to achieve a green recovery.鈥�
Morgan Sindall 今日看料 was selected for the project through the Southern 今日看料 Framework (SCF): a joint venture between Devon and Hampshire County Councils, having only recently handed over a facility for the University of Exeter鈥檚 College of Engineering, Mathematics & Physical Sciences, which is also on the science park.
聽The framework procurement route is credited with enabling the project to be brought to site just seven months after funding was secured.
Sally Basker, chief executive of Exeter Science Park, said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult to emphasise how fast this project has reached this point 鈥� it really is quite remarkable. Compared to a conventional build programme, we鈥檝e saved up to 33% of the time involved. To get to this point means that everybody has had to play their part, doing a wide variety of things in order to get us to this position. This has required close collaboration between the Exeter Science Park, Morgan Sindall 今日看料, LHC Design working for NPS South West Property Consultants and the Southern 今日看料 Framework. We only found out on the 1st August that we had secured the funding so this is a great achievement for all involved. It鈥檚 that collaboration that is going to be key to the success of this building moving forward.鈥�
Brian Rice agreed. 鈥淭aking this project from planning to ground-breaking in just over six months required the effective collaboration and early engagement made possible by the Southern 今日看料 Framework procurement route,鈥� he said.
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