Rebecca Ryan of Scott Tallon Walker Architects discusses managing the delivery of one of the largest higher education capital builds in Europe
Ulster University is one of the most prestigious educational institutions in Northern Ireland, priding itself on its commitment to promoting excellence and nurturing the next generation of innovators and leaders. In line with this vision, the University has been consistently expanding and upgrading its facilities to provide state-of-the- art infrastructure to its students and faculties. One of the most significant recent transformations was the expansion of its new Belfast campus. Opened for the 2022/23 academic year, the new buildings added 75,000 sqm of additional space to the existing Ulster University city centre campus, making it one of the largest higher education capital builds in Europe.
The new facility, which more than trebles the existing size of the university campus, accommodates over 15,000 students and staff, with the design reflecting Ulster University’s commitment to sustainability and community engagement. From the outset, a clear emphasis was placed on having the student experience and interaction as central to the design of the campus. The ambition was to foster a sense of community, with the layout of the new building encouraging collaboration and interaction among students, faculty members and visitors. Fielden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCBS) was the lead architect for the project, working closely with local architect partner McAdam Design.
The new building features a wide range of best-in-class amenities, including lecture theatres, seminar rooms, laboratories, and a library that offers students access to the latest technologies and resources. Accommodation is arranged around five interconnected atria which serve as communal space for students and faculty to meet, relax and socialise. The campus is designed to integrate seamlessly into its city centre location. The dramatic light-filled atria are the main focus of the design and create a sequence of pedestrian routes and varied publicly accessible spaces which connect the building to the adjacent streets. In line with the University’s vision of making the university feel like a part of the city and the surrounding community, the lower floors are open to the public with various facilities including a public restaurant run by catering students. The development also supports the wider masterplan for the Belfast region, which has already seen an estimated £1.4 billion investment in its wider regeneration.
Sustainability was a major priority for Ulster University, and this was taken into consideration at each stage of the design and construction process. The building incorporates a range of sustainable features including PV panels, green roofs, rainwater harvesting, and extensive use of natural ventilation via motorised louvres in the façade. The building also utilises energy- efficient systems such as heat recovery ventilation and LED lighting to reduce energy consumption and lower the building’s carbon footprint. Other not so obvious items included minimising the weight of the building to reduce the amount of concrete both in the structure and in the foundations, and using locally sourced aggregates with ground-granulated blast- furnace slag cement. The completed building has achieved a BREEAM excellent rating – one of the leading sustainability credentials in the market. Scott Tallon Walker (STW) played a crucial leadership role in ensuring the overall success of the project through a collaborative approach with all partners involved.
Working closely with White Ink Architects, Murphy Facades and The Paul Hogarth Company (landscape designers) as sub-consultants, STW led the Somague Sacyr contractor design team (it was the Spanish contractor’s first project in the UK) in developing FCBS’ exemplar design through detailed design to construction, completion and handover. STW’s role involved liaising with the University team and with statutory authorities, developing and completing the detailed design, and co-ordinating all aspects of the technical design with the entire design and construction teams, and managing the delivery of an extremely complex building. Such a significant project is not completed without its challenges and its successful delivery reflects the strength and depth of expertise of the project team. The scale and complexity of this building, on a tight urban site surrounded by busy arterial roads and active laneways, presented challenges for both the main contractor and for the STW-led design team, and the use of use building information modelling (BIM) by the contractor’s design team to create a digital twin of the building was essential to gaining a full understanding of the building, its structure and services.
The detailed design and construction stage of the project took place over seven years, and during that time additional scope and changes by the client were inevitable. The BIM models assisted greatly in assessing the impact of changes required by the client before implementation so minimising disruption to the construction process and ensuring maximum efficiencies and reduced costs. Close collaboration with the University monitoring team and fortnightly meetings ensured that the University was kept informed at all stages of the process, allowing for a successful outcome. Despite difficulties, including one of the main contractor JV partners going into liquidation, Scott Tallon Walker's well-structured project approach, and the collaborative efforts of the wider project team, helped minimize negative impacts on the delivery of the project. The result of the collective efforts achieved the University’s vision by delivering a high-quality, beautiful, and functional campus that provides its students with the best possible learning experience.
