Esther Simpson Building
The Esther Simpson Building is phase three of the redevelopment of the Business School and School of Law buildings and a new gateway to the campus.
Higher Education - The North, England
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Project Overview
The Esther Simpson Building forms the third phase of the redevelopment of the Business School and School of Law, creating a new gateway into the campus. Its design brings together high‑quality teaching, research and collaboration spaces in a building that acts as a central hub for students and staff.
The building contains six principal teaching rooms alongside flexible learning areas, specialist behaviour laboratories and dedicated mock trading rooms equipped with continuous perimeter ticker‑tape displays. Two large auditoriums anchor the academic facilities, including a 390‑seat lecture theatre and a 240‑seat Harvard‑style theatre supported by integrated café space.
A façade of precast concrete panels, manufactured offsite with pre‑installed glazing, provides both precision and efficiency in construction. The building is set within an extensive landscaped setting that enhances its role as a welcoming entrance to the wider campus.
Photograph © Midi Photography
The Challenge
The original concrete stair cores and retaining‑wall design slowed the programme and carried a high embodied‑carbon cost. A more efficient structural approach was needed to cut time, carbon, and construction traffic.
Our Solution
Switching to steel‑framed stair cores and a contiguous piled wall accelerated construction and reduced material‑intensive concrete works. These changes lowered the building’s embodied carbon and removed over 100 vehicle movements from the project.
Our Approach To...
Modern Methods of Construction (MMC)
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