New Science Centre wins regional industry award

The £10.1m centre at the University of Wolverhampton Science Park was named Best Large Commercial Building at the LABC West Midlands Excellence Awards.

The awards, held at Telford International Centre, saw 250 construction professionals and council building control workers gather to celebrate outstanding building projects across the region.

Designed by Fairhursts Design Group and built by Clegg Construction, the centre was completed last year and has five tenants to date.

It has high quality workshop, office and category 1 and 2 laboratory space over 4,000 square metres and offers specialist space for science, technology and engineering businesses, catering for the aerospace, automotive, building technology and life science sectors.

Professor Ian Oakes, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Wolverhampton which is part of the West Midlands Combined Universities, said: “We’re really proud to have won the award and it’s great that the centre has been recognised in this way.

“The finished product looks fantastic, we have new tenants moved in and the building has come to life.

“The centre offers unrivalled specialist space to scientific-based businesses wanting to develop and enhance their research and development activities and we’re looking forward to welcoming more companies in the near future.”

LABC’s Chief Executive Paul Everall said, “The awards are an opportunity for us to celebrate some of the very best in construction in England and Wales, recognising the high level of quality and skill we can and do reach in the UK.”

The winners will be going to the Grand Finals, being held on Friday 9 November at the Westminster Park Plaza in London.

The Science Centre project was funded through a £4.8m grant from the Growth Deal to the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership, with the remaining £5.3m coming from the University.

For more information on the Science Centre and its facilities visit http://sciencetechcentre.co.uk/ or phone 01902 824000.