Laura Annie Willson Building

Name: One Darnley Road
Price range: $

Huddersfield, UK

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PROJECT OVERVIEW

A new home for the School of Computing and Engineering

The University of Huddersfield commissioned a project to deliver extensive refurbishment and renovation work to the former Technology Building located in the heart of their campus.

We acted as lead consultant on the £8m scheme, providing architectural design, project management, quality monitoring, interior design and principal designer services, as well as carrying out measured building surveys and leading the multidisciplinary team which also included structural engineers and MEP consultants.

The building now provides state of the art facilities for scientists and engineers researching areas ranging from digital manufacturing, virtual reality, and the internet of things (IoT) to digital forensics, fluid sciences and electric vehicles.

An innovative two-storey domestic dwelling, a “Smart House”, is situated within a laboratory for research into fields such as smart energy technologies, domestic environmental monitoring and robotics for assisted living.

renovation works

Housing state of the art technology

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INCORPORATING SUSTABILITY

A new lease of life with energy efficiency benefits

A key principle of the project was the shell and core remodel of the building to strip out all redundant mechanical and electrical services and ensure all new services were to current standards, efficient and easy to maintain. In doing so, we have not only enhanced the building’s longevity, but also reduced maintenance and operating costs with much more energy efficient systems.

Supporting the university’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2023, more than 480 solar panels have been installed on the building’s roof. The photo-voltaic panels will generate an estimated 150,000kW/h per year and help to reduce reliance on energy from conventional / non-renewable sources.

DESIGN FEATURE

A glass facade to exhibit cutting-edge research

To enable the university to showcase the innovative research being carried out inside the building, the dated facade was replaced with a glazed wall that stretches the entire length of the structure, providing a clear view inside the new laboratories. The new glazing also welcomes plenty of daylight into the building, creating a bright, airy and welcoming internal space.

LOCAL HISTORY

Inspired by a 19th Century female pioneer

The flagship building has been renamed the Laura Annie Willson Building, inspired by the English engineer, who was twice imprisoned for her political beliefs as a suffragette. She was one of the founding members of the Women’s Engineering Society, the first female member of the Federation of House Builders and a founding member of the Electrical Association for Women.

Her work as an engineer saw the construction of 72 houses for workers in Halifax, where she was from, setting up canteens for working women and developing housing estates that had the latest gas and electrical appliances installed.

The official opening of the renovated building was conducted by the university’s vice-chancellor Prof Bob Cryan and attended by Willson’s granddaughter Joanna Stoddart and her husband John.

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OUR WORK

Supporting the university’s future campus development plans

To suit advances in technology and the ever-changing needs of the university and its students, the Laura Annie Willson Building has been adapted, remodelled and altered several times over the course of its life.

We have been involved in several refurbishment projects, contributing to improvements both internally and externally.

We are currently working on a further scheme to provide remodeling works to a number of additional laboratory and manufacturing spaces with the LW3 and LW4 corridors of the building.

To support the university’s green travel initiatives, this scheme includes the provision of suitable ‘Cycle to Work’ changing facilities for their staff, as well as refurbishment works to the corridors and the introduction of new staff WC’s and shower facilities.

Team