Morgan Sindall lands £68m business school job

The University of Salford has selected the contractor as preferred partner to deliver the flagship 79,500 sq ft development.

With designs by BDP, plans were put forward in September for a project that will see the demolition of Crescent House at 43-44 The Crescent, and the construction of a purpose-built home for Salford Business School in its place.

The scheme also includes new public realm and landscaping around the building.

The new Salford Business School is being funded by the university and delivered as part of the £2.5bn, 240-acre Crescent Salford masterplan, led by ECF – the regeneration partnership between Muse, L&G and Homes England’s National Housing Bank – in partnership with Salford City Council and the University of Salford.

The project continues the university’s development along the A6, including the south side, home to the Old Fire Station Bakery and Brewery and the Faraday building.

Morgan Sindall will now work with the design team through a pre-construction period running until March 2027. If planning consent is secured, work is expected to start on site in April 2027, with completion scheduled for spring 2029.

The new building forms part of the University’s Campus Connectivity Plan, a major redevelopment of its research, teaching and public spaces.

This would be Morgan Sindall’s fourth project for the university, the form having delivered the £65m Science, Engineering and Environment (SEE) Building, a four-storey research and teaching facility, in 2022.

MS also built the £16m North of England Robotics Innovation Centre, and is currently building the university’s £24m acoustics research, testing and teaching facility, which is due to complete in mid-2027.

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Steven Gregory, North West area director, Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “Salford is changing fast, and the University is at the heart of that change. The Business School will give students, local businesses and the community a place to learn, meet and develop ideas together, and we’re proud to be helping build it.

“We’ve delivered the SEE Building and NERIC, so we know this campus and what the University needs from its buildings. We’ve also been part of Salford for a long time. Our projects here bring jobs, training and work for local people and businesses, and we’ll make sure this one does the same as we help build a better future for the city.”

Professor Katy Mason, pro vice-chancellor and dean, faculty of social sciences, humanities and the arts for people and the economy, University of Salford, said: “This is a significant milestone for both Salford Business School and the wider University.

“Our new home will create a vibrant, future-focused environment where students, colleagues and partners can come together to learn from each other, collaborate and generate new ways of growing our economy that deliver for society, while taking care of our planet.”

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