Timelapse footage shows progress made on UCLan’s new £60m student centre

The Student Centre has come a long way since this photo was taken. Pic: UCLan

The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) has released new timelapse foodtage which highlights the impressive progress being made on the exterior of its new £60million Student Centre.

In just over a month, nearly 100 tonnes of steel and glass have been lifted into place on the south elevation of the development, with the building now virtually watertight.

Standing at 13.5 metres in height and nearly 100 metres in length, it all adds up to the highest single span ‘continuous’ curtain walling system in Europe, meaning the outer walls are non-structural.

In total, the impressive frontage required 165 units of glass in an assortment of 25 different shapes and sizes.

Each vertical supporting bar between the panes of glass weigh in at approximately 1.2 tonnes while the largest glass unit installed is 510kg with the smallest being 130kg.

Michael Ahern, UCLan’s Chief Information and Infrastructure Officer, said: “The completion of our Student Centre’s exterior glass frontage represents a major construction milestone.

“Our students and staff can’t wait to start using the building which will be flooded with natural light, aesthetically superb and most importantly create an inspiring environment to support our students for many years to come.

“Our construction partners Bowmer + Kirkland will soon be entering the final straight as we look forward to the project’s completion in April 2021.”

Work will now turn to the completion of the building’s interior as well as the new public square of which 45 per cent has already been laid.

Once completed, the development will also provide a greener environment on the previous Adelphi roundabout for students, staff and residents to enjoy.

Over 300 new trees will be planted and there will be a 50,000-strong bee colony on the roof of the Student Centre.

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