Work is Progressing at the Sir William Bragg Building

Measures are in place to allow work to continue safely at this University of Leeds construction site.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, works have been continuing at reduced capacity on the University of Leeds’ flagship project, the Sir William Henry Bragg Building. The contractor, BAM, has implemented a number of safe working procedures in line with the government’s advice on social distancing.

Safety Measures

The number of workers on site has been capped at 180 people, which is about half of the normal working capacity. This allows workers to maintain a safe social distance of 2m apart whilst working. A one-way system has also been introduced to staircases and entrances to ensure safe circulation throughout the site.

Additional welfare facilities are provided on site to assist safe distancing along with toilet attendants. In order to mitigate any adverse impacts on the construction programme alternative working patterns such as shift and night working are also being explored.

Project Progress

This video shows the current stage of the project:

During recent weeks, great progress has been made on the internal finishes such as the ash balustrading and slatted ceiling in the heart of the building – the atrium. The atrium will become the social heart of the building, providing a setting which promotes collaboration and serendipity. The curtain walling will soon be complete and the suspension of the feature light fitting within the atrium is progressing.

In the coming weeks the balustrading will continue to be installed on the feature stair and the glazing will be installed to the lift.

The finishing touches are now being concluded on the outside of the building, with the pointing of the Portland stone on the Grade II listed Old Mining Building due to be finished shortly, allowing the scaffolding to be removed.

The bridge links which connect the School of Chemistry and Electrical Engineering are progressing and will provide a physical link between the adjacent buildings. This will enable cross-disciplinary collaboration.

The Sir William Henry Bragg Building is a new £96m integrated campus for engineering and physical sciences. Once complete, the building will be fully equipped to support cutting-edge research, providing a range of research environments. The centre has been designed to change the way people work and will encourage collaboration across disciplines and specialisms. The project is due to complete in early 2021.