Kier to build £26.8m research centre

New building part of redevelopment of UKAEA science campusKier will build a 8,000 sq m research and development facility in South Oxfordshire for the UK’s national fusion research laboratory.The contractor will start work later this autumn, having been awarded the £26.8m by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) through the Crown Commercial Service Framework.UKAEA signed a 35-year agreement with Legal & General to develop the new R&D centre at Culham Science Centre near Abingdon, which is owned and run by the energy research body.The new building will comprise of a new four-storey office – to be used by multiple tenants – with a rig hall for research and development, as well as a multi-storey carpark.The building will use a combination of energy efficient design and passive measures to comply with targets set out in the South Oxfordshire Local Plan. It will also utilise a rooftop solar array and air source heat pumps.The R&D building is the latest element of a major regeneration programme on the South Oxfordshire campus.In June 2021, UKAEA reached an agreement with Canadian firm General Fusion allowing the latter to develop a Fusion Demonstration Plant at Culham.