Nancy Rothwell Building Explained

The Nancy Rothwell Building
Former Names:Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD)
Engineering Building
Cost:£420 million
Start Date:2012
Completion Date:2021
Size:76,000m²
Owner:University of Manchester
Architect:Building Design Partnership

The Nancy Rothwell Building is home to the School of Engineering at the University of Manchester. Previously known as the Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD) and the Engineering Building it took nine years to design and construct and was completed in 2021.[1] [2]

The building has over 76,000m² of floor space spread over seven floors making it the largest home for engineering and material science in the UK. It provides a workspace to over 8,000 students, academics and staff. As of 2024 it is one of the single largest construction projects undertaken by any tertiary education institution in the UK.[3] [4]

Design and construction

The Initial budget for the building was £300 million project in 2015[5] [6] rising to more than £420 million on completion.[7] [8] [9]

Design and construction of the building was a collaboration between Mecanoo[10] and the Building Design Partnership (BDP)[11] with engineering services provided by Arup. The main contractor was Balfour Beatty[12] with Buro Happold as the environmental sustainability advisor. The building has a BREEAM excellent rating and a green roof.[12]

The building was constructed during period of heavy investment in buildings by universities in the United Kingdom.[13] [14] [15] Such investments in building infrastructure have been criticised as a race to the bottom,[13] building frenzy[14] and a gold rush by critics such as Jonathan Wolff and Fionn Stevenson.[13]

Naming

The building was officially named after Nancy Rothwell in July 2024 to mark her retirement as Vice Chancellor of the university in 2024.[16] It is one of the few buildings named after a woman on campus.[17] A portrait of Nancy Rothwell by Carla van de Puttelaar is displayed on the first floor outside the main lecture theatre.

Previously the building had been known as the Engineering Building and the Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD).

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pioneering engineering for a sustainable future. se.manchester.ac.uk.
  2. Web site: Engineering Building A and B: The place for Engineering and Materials. mecd.manchester.ac.uk. Anon. 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150719014250/https://www.mecd.manchester.ac.uk/. 2015-07-19.
  3. Web site: Engineering A and B. conference.manchester.ac.uk.
  4. Web site: Recognition for President & Vice-Chancellor's contributions. staffnet.manchester.ac.uk.
  5. Web site: General building information. manchester.ac.uk.
  6. Web site: The University of Manchester announces £350 million engineering campus. manchester.ac.uk.
  7. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20240223135351/https://www.ice.org.uk/events/past-events-and-recordings/recorded-lectures/manchester-engineering-campus-development-mecd. 2024-02-23. Manchester Engineering Campus development (MECD). Institution of Civil Engineers. ice.org.uk. 2022. Tom. Harrison. Stewart. van Ark.
  8. Web site: Manchester Uni’s £400m MECD completes. placenorthwest.co.uk. Sarah . Townsend. 2021.
  9. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20210928045538/https://stories.manchester.ac.uk/exploremecd/. 2021-09-28. The Home of Engineering and Materials. stories.manchester.ac.uk. Anon. 2012.
  10. Web site: Manchester Engineering Campus Development, Manchester, United Kingdom. mecanoo.nl.
  11. Web site: Manchester Engineering Campus Development. bdp.com.
  12. Web site: A flagship project to create a world-leading teaching, learning and research campus. balfourbeatty.com. Anon. 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20240518095010/https://www.balfourbeatty.com/what-we-do/projects/manchester-engineering-campus-development-mecd/. 2024-05-18.
  13. Web site: Has the university building gold rush run its course?. architectsjournal.co.uk. 2019. Richard. Waite. Universities in the UK have been in a race to the bottom to produce shinier, newer, more attractive individual buildings to attract students, believing that investing more in buildings (at the expense of investing in teaching staff) is the way to grow. https://web.archive.org/web/20240804040327/https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/has-the-university-building-gold-rush-run-its-course. 2024-08-04. Architects' Journal.
  14. Web site: Universities are in a building frenzy, but who is actually impressed?. theguardian.com. 2019. Jonathan. Wolff. The Guardian. Jonathan Wolff (philosopher). https://web.archive.org/web/20220217005635/https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/apr/09/universities-building-frenzy-who-actually-impressed. 2022-02-17. Students will remember the low ceilings that stop them seeing the PowerPoint screen, not the brushed-aluminium finish.
  15. Web site: Boom at UK universities sees construction rise 43% year-on-year: Race to attract foreign and fee-paying students results in new building projects. ft.com. Financial Times. London. Gill. Plimmer . Gonzalo. Viña. 2016.
  16. Web site: Ceremony marks Nancy Rothwell’s end of term of office as President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester. Anon. 2024. manchester.ac.uk. https://web.archive.org/web/20240727222904/https://www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/ceremony-marks-nancy-rothwells-end-of-term-of-office-as-president-and-vice-chancellor-of-the-university-of-manchester/. 2024-07-27.
  17. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20240224184044/https://mancunion.com/2024/01/30/why-are-my-uni-buildings-named-after-men/. 2024-02-24. Why are so many of my university buildings named after men?. mancunion.com. The Mancunion. Annabel. Benton. 2024.

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