Client’s Requirements

The new £55m UoY Heslington East Campus included a new Hub Building (Student Services & Refectory), Theatre Film & Television Building, Law & Commerce Building and Computer Sciences Building.  As a second phase Silcock Leedham was also appointed for the Catalyst – a 3,500m² high tech office building – as part of the new campus. The development included new site wide infrastructure and district heating system.

Silcock Leedham’s Contribution

Silcock Leedham was appointed by BAM as Building Services Engineering Consultants to provide full coordinated detailed design and working drawings for the Main Contractor, working from an approved RIBA Stage C concept design.

We worked closely with the architects to optimise the free-cooling and the natural ventilation design philosophy and building thermal properties to minimise energy use, meet Part L of the building regulations and achieve BREEAM Very Good.  All buildings were modelled using IES(VE) with internal CFD carried out in specific / sensitive areas.

The design works required close liaison with the University’s Estates Team and required a high level of accuracy and programme delivery, to ensure site installation was problem free.

Silcock Leedham was responsible for the full mechanical, electrical, public health and site wide CHP infrastructure design of the campus

Added Value / Unique Selling Points

In addition to designing the engineering services and producing working drawings, Silcock Leedham provided specialist dynamic thermal and natural ventilation computer modelling and lighting design.

We also coordinated input from specialist suppliers, audio visual specialists and specialist sub-contractors to produce fully coordinated drawings.

Our role continued into the provision of specialist commissioning management and validation of operating systems for the building Log Book.

This commission went on to win 3 Gold RIBA Awards in 2011

It was described at the awards as ‘an extremely complex project that has been carried out with great dexterity and aplomb”. They also said “the Hub manages to retain a very comfortable human scale, yet as the client has said ‘there is an air of excitement about the building which transmits itself into activities and people in it’