UK’s Largest Engineering Campus reaches Practical Completion

Banyards are proud to have played a major part on the new University of Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD), handed over to the client on 14th May 2021. The Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD) represents the single largest construction project undertaken by a UK Higher Education Institution.

The completion of this £300m+, 6 year, project brings all the engineering schools to one campus that will house a community of 8,000 staff and students across 5 buildings; Odd Fellows Hall (OFH), York Street Building (YSB), Upper Brook Street (UBS), Mech Hall (MCH) & the Active Travel Hub (ATH).

Our Commissioning Management team, led by Tony Craig, overcame the project challenges from design through to completion. Commencing with the early design stages our detailed commissionability reviews ensured the MEP systems could be commissioned in a cost effective and efficient manner. This led on to us chairing specialist integrated workshops, producing logic linked programmes, interfacing with the client and 3rd party stakeholders and detailed tracking of each stage via bespoke schedules, tailored to the MECD project prior to handing over fully compliant systems to the University of Manchester.

As part of our role as the Independent Commissioning Manager, we managed the technically challenging commissioning and water treatment process due to an early requirement for ‘heat on’ to each building for the various handover phases. The (sitewide primary) district main from the York Street Building energy centre supplies heating and hot water to the whole campus via 6 satellite plantrooms located in the basements of each building as well as the level 6 plantroom. The filling and water treatment process spanned some 15 months which included regularly sampling as per BSRIA BG29 guidelines.

We also managed the commissioning of multiple specialist systems; not least the University’s Extra High Voltage Lab Facility / EM Suites / Laser Enclosures / Anechoic Chamber / Clean Rooms & Textiles / Process Extract Systems / Life Safety Systems (Fire Alarm / Emergency Lighting / Sprinkler / Gas Suppression) just to mention a few.

The project was a complete team effort and a credit to everyone involved.

The University is committed to Environmental Sustainability, with MECD being the first project to appoint a dedicated Environmental Sustainability Advisor to develop and drive the University’s comprehensive sustainability targets throughout the project’s life cycle, including a BREEAM Excellent rating, a new active travel hub and green roof.

Professor Martin Schröder, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering said:

“MECD affords an exciting new environment for the delivery of interdisciplinary research, teaching and impact across engineering. We are eager to progress towards populating MECD with our staff and students, creating an inspiring, highly flexible first-class teaching and research environment that transforms the way in which the University educates engineers for the future.”

Banyards’ responsibilities included full M&E Commissioning Management and Validation covering:

  • Commissionability reviews
  • Detailed commissioning plans
  • Fully logic linked commissioning programmes
  • Innovative online Commissioning tracking system
  • Witnessing of all M&E systems
  • Managing and producing the Building User Guides and Building logbook to CIBSE standards

 

Andy Kinder, Construction Director for Balfour Beatty said:

“Banyards were carefully chosen to lead the Independent Commissioning Management for Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD) at the University of Manchester and have been crucial to the success of the project from their initial appointment through to practical completion.
Banyards engagement provided stakeholder confidence that needs were fully understood and would be addressed through the commissioning management process.
Early input from Banyards allowed commissionability studies to be undertaken during the design stage, ensuring that the commissioning requirements were designed and built in and their commissioning plans, together with their management of commissioning risk registers and witnessing schedules ensured the works were well planned and implemented, through all stages of the commissioning through to successful system acceptance. 
Banyards exceeded expectations, demonstrating an excellent ability to proactively understand the interaction between the buildings systems and associated integration of the specialist systems.”

The comprehensive Mechanical and Electrical systems included:

  • 46 AHU’s
  • 141 Pumps
  • 6 Air Compressors
  • 27 Km. Orbital Welded Gas Pipework
  • 10 Chillers with 6.5 mw of cooling
  • 820 Active Chilled Beams
  • 11,000+ Hard wired BMS points
  • 1,460 Window Actuators
  • 70 Km of Basket
  • 34 Km of Trunking
  • 120 Km of Conduit
  • 900 Km of Single cables
  • 12,000 General light fittings
  • 342,425 Zip Ties!

 

Image credits: Balfour Beatty
Projects / Written 11th June, 2021

PLEASE READ THE TERMS OF THIS POLICY CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THE [BANYARDS’ PORTAL]

What’s in these terms?

This acceptable use policy sets out the terms that apply when you access or interact with the Banyards’ Portal.

Who we are and how to contact us

Our site is operated by Banyard Consultants Ltd (“We”). We are a limited company registered in England under company number 3847976.  Our registered office is 28-30, Worship Street, London, EC2A 2AH.  Our VAT number is GB 826 7615 08.

By using our site you accept these terms

By using our site, you confirm that you accept the terms of this policy and that you agree to comply with them.

If you do not agree to these terms, you must not use our site.

We recommend that you print a copy of these terms for future reference.

There are other terms that may apply to you

Our website Terms and our Privacy Notice also apply to your use of our site.

Portal Content

The Banyards’ Portal allows you to access information reports, data and test results to check and monitor the progress of work undertaken by third party contractors at your site.  You may only use the Banyards’ Portal for the purpose of accessing information in relation to Projects administered by us for you.

Access to the Banyards’ Portal

At the commencement of each Project you will be provided with a unique login password to enable you to access the Banyards’ Portal.  This will then enable you to review the current status on your various Projects.  You are responsible to ensure that the login password will only be given to those of your employees, agents or advisers whom you wish to access information from the Banyards’ Portal.

By accessing the Banyards’ Portal you will be able to review and download copies of information that are posted by us on your Client Portal.

Updating of Information

Information will be regularly updated by us and in any event within 7 days of verification by us of information provided by your contractors.

All information and data uploaded from time to time to your portal will be correct [at the time of upload].

If for any reason, outside our control, we are unable to upload information to the Banyard’s Portal then we will let you know by posting a message on our website and we will take all reasonable steps to minimise any delays in so doing.

If we fail to upload information to Banyards’ Portal in accordance with these terms and such failure arises from any delay on the part of your contractors or the supply by them of inadequate or incorrect information, then we shall have no liability to you arising from such delays or the uploading of incorrect or misleading information provided to us.

We may make changes to the terms of this policy

We amend these terms from time to time. Every time you wish to use our site, please check these terms to ensure you understand the terms that apply at that time.

Breach of this policy

When we consider that a breach of this policy has occurred, we may take such action as we deem appropriate.

Failure to comply with this policy constitutes a material breach of the terms of use upon which you are permitted to use our site, and may result in our taking all or any of the following actions:

  • Immediate, temporary or permanent withdrawal of your right to use the Banyards Portal.
  • Issue of a warning to you.
  • Legal proceedings against you for reimbursement of all costs on an indemnity basis (including, but not limited to, reasonable administrative and legal costs) resulting from the breach.

We exclude our liability for all action we may take in response to breaches of this acceptable use policy. The actions we may take are not limited to those described above, and we may take any other action we reasonably deem appropriate.

Which country’s laws apply to any disputes?

The terms of this policy, its subject matter and its formation (and any non-contractual disputes or claims) are governed by English law. By using our site you agree to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

Effective Date

These Terms are effective from January 2019