The new Mountbatten Building

October has seen the bottom half of the Mountbatten building completely enclosed with 90% of the patterned glass cladding having been installed. Work has also started on the cladding to the adjacent Combined Utilities Building with Bovis' cladding contractor, Lakesmere, now erecting the supporting steelwork to the cladding veil that will form the external elevations.

The supporting temporary framework surrounding the cantilevered section of the third and fourth floor offices has now been removed to reveal the impressive structure bordering on to Burgess Road. Work has commenced on the waterproofing system to the main rooms and the building is expected to be watertight before the end of the year.

Internally, the CUB plant installation has commenced. The standby generator, air handling units and the 9m high air scrubbers have all been installed. The erection of the internal partitioning has commenced on level 2 to allow the installation of an air handling unit to be completed which will, following its connection to the University's district heating system, be able to blow warmed air into the clean room below.

Within the clean room area IDC Clean Rooms are currently installing the high level clean room walls and ceilings. Within the clean rooms ductwork specialists, Senior Hargreaves and Parkers, have already erected their high level components. The electrical contractors, RW Site Services, have also commenced on site again and are working at high level in the clean room areas. Process and mechanical pipework contractors, Merritt, are working to complete their installations from the CUB into the main building.

Stage 2 of the clean room construction protocols has now been established with positive heated ventilation being provided to the clean room areas thus preventing the ingress of dirt and dust and overcoming any problems of unwanted condensation and dimensional changes to the metal components being installed in the clean room.

Construction of the basebuild works remains on target for the beginning of June 2008 and the ‘fit-out’ works, which will leave the building equipment ready in mid-July 2008, have now commenced.

One of the two tower cranes on site will be dismantled and removed during November, leaving the remaining crane to service the site into the New Year.