£30m chemical engineering facility for Manchester

Manachester, UK - University of Manchester has announced plans to establish a new £30-million state-of-the-art facility for its School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science.The proposed five-storey building is to accommodate research facilities and teaching laboratories for post graduates and undergraduates, as well as enquiry based learning facilities (EBL) and academic offices.

The construction, measuring around 11,500 square metres is set to take place in two phases. Work is scheduled to start on a £11.5 million initial phase in May 2010, to be completed by Summer 2011, followed by an £18.5 million second phase. The facility will eventually accommodate 70 academic and professional services staff.

The building, which will house a sophisticated industrial pilot plant, is part of the University's overall £650 million construction programme considered to be the biggest ever carried out within the UK Higher Education sector, said the University.

The new structure will stand just a short distance south of the site where the School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science is currently located. It is planned that the current pilot plant and teaching laboratories would relocate first, followed by the remainder of the School.

In a University press release, Prof Mike Sutcliffe, head of the School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science (CEAS) stated: "The recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) confirmed Manchester's position as one of a small group of elite Chemical Engineering departments within the UK.

"Our success capitalises on the synergies between chemical engineering and bioscience, chemistry, mathematics, and analytical and measurement science. Our broad research base enables us to study the design, operation and integration of different complex systems particularly industrial, biological, and instrumentation and apply chemical engineering in a 21st Century context.

"We believe the School's success in dissolving barriers between cognate disciplines will provide further benefits for our students and research staff. In support of this goal, the University of Manchester has prioritised plans for investment in a new purpose built home for the School.

"We are delighted to be embarking on a journey underpinned by an excellent RAE result that will provide the fit for purpose facilities required for outstanding chemical engineering research and education."