Robertson starts work on Aberdeen Uni’s teaching hub

Construction is now officially under way of Robertson’s £20m contract to build a science teaching hub as part of a major investment in Aberdeen University’s campus.It is carrying out the design and construction of the new hub, which has an overall development cost of £35m. The four-storey hub will be built using a post-tensioned concrete frame with piled foundations with precast concrete cladding panels and curtain walling.Major regeneration and new developments are proposed for the Old Aberdeen campus with a range projects being considered – or getting under way – with a combined cost of almost £100m.The £35m Science Teaching Hub which is set to open in the first half of 2021.Principal and vice-chancellor Professor George Boyne cut the first sod on the site of the facility, which will provide teaching labs for students studying biological sciences, biomedical sciences, chemistry, geoscience and physiology.Elsewhere on campus concepts are being examined to revitalise the historic heart of King’s College in order to reconnect it with the community. New educational spaces are proposed for Cromwell Tower, The Stack and the Senate wing – areas that are either little, or poorly used.Enhancement proposals are also being explored for the MacRobert Building that will see it become the home for the entire Business School, which is expected to double its student population over the next decade.Regeneration work is also under way inside the King’s South Quad wing where four traditional lecture theatres last reconfigured in the 1970s are being overhauled to make way for two large collaborative teaching spaces.Future projects will also include New King’s, with potential remodelling of the interior being considered to create further modern learning environments.