Northumbria University selects McAlpine as main contractor for space skills centre

Sir Robert McAlpine has been selected arsenic the main contractor for the operation of the North East Space Skills and Technology Centre (NESST) astatine Northumbria University successful Newcastle, England, UK.

Following a preconstruction services agreement, the £30m ($39.47m) declaration covers the demolition of the existing Wynne Jones building, on with the operation of a caller installation and an hold astatine the bosom of the assemblage campus.

The centre volition diagnostic a caller crushed level and six precocious levels, covering astir 900m².

It volition location facilities specified arsenic outer manufacturing cleanable rooms, precocious prototyping laboratories, a ngo operations centre, and shared workspaces for engagement with companies successful the abstraction manufacturing proviso chain.

Construction is ongoing, with steelwork installation successful advancement and completion anticipated successful precocious 2026.

Upon completion, NESST is expected to foster collaboration betwixt manufacture and academia successful abstraction probe and technology, creating much than 350 jobs and contributing implicit £260m ($339.41m) to the North East England system implicit 3 decades.

The task has received important backing from the UK Space Agency and Lockheed Martin UK Space.

Northumbria University pro vice-chancellor (International) Professor John Woodward said: “The assignment of Sir Robert McAlpine marks an breathtaking milestone successful the improvement of NESST. The centre volition beryllium a crippled changer - not lone for our students and researchers, but for the region’s ambitions successful the abstraction and precocious manufacturing sectors.

"By combining cutting-edge facilities with beardown manufacture partnerships, we’re creating a centre that volition thrust innovation, boost economical growth, and enactment the North East firmly connected the representation arsenic a person successful abstraction technology.”

Sir Robert McAlpine assemblage manager Mark Gardham said: “We look guardant to continuing our longstanding, palmy narration with Northumbria University and delivering this state-of-the-art installation successful the bosom of Newcastle.

“Our squad of experts bring the engineering excellence indispensable to enactment successful specified adjacent proximity to captious transport infrastructure, collaborating intimately with our proviso concatenation partners and section stakeholders to present the task safely and efficiently, and marque a affirmative interaction connected the section community.”

Earlier successful January this year, Sir Robert McAlpine was chosen by Tata Steel arsenic the main works contractor for a £1.25bn concern successful low-carbon steelmaking astatine the Port Talbot steelworks successful the UK.

"Northumbria University selects McAlpine arsenic main contractor for abstraction skills centre" was primitively created and published by World Construction Network, a GlobalData owned brand.