Race starts for £12m Energy House 2.0

The University of Salford is looking to appoint a contractor to build the new research facility, designed to simulate extreme weather conditions around the world.

Initial proposals outlined for the Energy House 2.0, which is to be built at the University’s Frederick Road campus, were for two environmental chambers with the ability to achieve temperatures of between -20C and 40C, wind, rain, snow and simulated solar light.

These initial plans put forward last July also featured a sensor laboratory, a thermal laboratory, a data analysis and visualisation unit, product development space and more standard meeting facilities.

The facility will be used to create an isolated environment to test building materials in extreme weather conditions.

However, the contract notice for the project issued today says the project has been “reduced in scale” following design development and a value engineering exercise.

As a result the University said its “key primary output” will still be weather simulation although some of the systems providing this will be retrofitted at a later date.

The contract is worth around £11.8m and is expected to complete by Easter 2021. The prequalification process is open until 4 March this year, and from this the shortlist will be invited to tender.

The project is part-funded by the ERDF.

AECOM is providing project management, cost management, architecture and full multidisciplinary engineering services for the project.