Willmott Dixon bags £31m Swansea job

Willmott Dixon has added to its £350 million of projects in the universities sector by being appointed by Swansea University for the preconstruction stage of its world-class computer science facility.

The £31 million Computational Foundry at the university’s new Bay Campus will become a beacon for research collaborations, attracting leading academics from around the world.

It will build on Swansea’s existing achievements of being the top ranked university in Wales for the quality of its Computer Science research by the Research Excellence Framework.

Facilities include space for over 150 researchers in laboratories that support industrial proof-of concept and prototyping work, stimulating commercial opportunities, entrepreneurship and job creation.

Backed by a £17 milllion from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), it will also feature world-leading experimental set-ups, equipment, devices and prototypes to accelerate innovation. The building will be operational and welcome staff and students from September 2018.

Neal Stephens, managing director at Willmott Dixon construction in Wales and the West: “ We’re looking forward to delivering an outstanding research and teaching facility that will benefit the university and Swansea City Region for generations to come.”

VINCI to build 30m Swansea Uni campus

VINCI Construction UK has been awarded a £30 million contract to build five additional student accommodation blocks at Swansea University Bay Campus.

The development will comprise of 543 rooms, which are being developed by St. Modwen in partnership with the University.

This latest phase of accommodation is scheduled to complete and open to new students in autumn 2017 while boosting the local economy and the building trades.

The accommodation follows the same traditional design concept as the previous phases delivered by VINCI Construction UK in September 2015.

The blocks range in scale from 69 beds over four storeys to 159 beds over eight storeys.

This latest phase of accommodation will bring the number of students at the new Campus to 2,000.

It includes some academic and student service spaces on the ground floor of one of the blocks and supplements the newly completed phases 1 and 2 which already provide student services that include a bar, gym, restaurants, Tesco, bank, crèche, student support and facilities management space.

EU-backed Swansea University campus is boosting jobs and growth

Finance Minister Jane Hutt has visited the site of Swansea University’s £450 million Bay Campus to see how EU funds are helping to boost investment and create jobs in the region.

The UK’s leading regeneration specialist, St. Modwen, is developing the campus with its construction partner, VINCI Construction UK, and Swansea University’s framework contractor, Leadbitter, a Bouygues UK company.

As well as driving forward research and innovation, the Bay Campus is currently providing significant local employment opportunities.

More than 1,100 workers have already been inducted to work on the site. There are over 200 sub-contracting opportunities, of which over 100 have already been let to companies from the Swansea Bay region and across Wales.

During her visit, the Finance Minister performed a topping out ceremony at one of the student residential buildings, which will be home to 900 students.

Jane Hutt said: “This is an excellent example of the benefits of EU funds in Wales, not only through helping to establish a leading research and innovation facility to drive forward our knowledge economy, but also the local employment and skills opportunities it is creating  in the construction of the campus.

“I am also pleased to see how the Government and Welsh organisations are working with private investors, like the European Investment Bank, to develop funding solutions for infrastructure investments in Wales.”

The development, which will welcome its first students on site in September 2015, has benefitted from £50 million of Welsh Government, including £35 million from the European Regional Development Fund, and £60 million from the European Investment Bank.

Rupert Joseland, Regional Director for St. Modwen, said: “We’re delighted to mark the topping out of the first student residential building on site with a visit from the Finance Minister.

“The new £450 million Bay Campus is part of St. Modwen’s £2.2 billion linked development, alongside the £500 million employment site at Baglan Bay and £1 billion sustainable community at Coed Darcy in Neath.

“Our investment in this flagship project cements our long term commitment to driving social and economic regeneration across South Wales.”