The new Mountbatten Building

	Impressive concrete feature staircase will form striking main centrepiece of the atrium

Following the excitement of the topping out ceremony, work re-commenced on site in earnest with the introduction of heating from the University's district heating system into the clean room via one of the main air handling units. This arrangement allows the clean room to be kept at a temperature roughly equivalent to normal operating conditions which in turn allows for the accurate installation of the clean room walls, floors and ceilings. Delivery of one of the first eco friendly chiller units is expected before Christmas. These chillers will keep the clean room cool.

Most of the high level installations in the ground floor clean room have been completed. The contractors are now more than half way through the installation of the clean room ceilings. This has allowed the underfloor services to progress in those areas where the ceilings have been fitted. It is anticipated that the clean room installation will be completed by the end of February.

The partitioning that will form the laboratories and plant spaces on level 2 (the floor above the clean rooms) is now over 50% complete. This will allow for the commencement of the first fix mechanical and electrical services to be incorporated within the walls themselves.

The atrium, which links the new Mountbatten to the existing Zepler building, now has a roof. Work has also started on the concrete feature staircase which will eventually form the impressive main centrepiece of the atrium. Once the feature staircase has been completed, the constructors will start work on totally enclosing the atrium. This is expected to happen in late February or March 2008.

On the roof the construction of the "upside down roof" continues with the placement of the external insulation panels and combined paving units to the main roof and the combined utilities building.  

During December the external elevations to the Mountbatten complex have progressed quickly despite the poor weather at the beginning of the month. With the concrete frame now finished the glazed cladding to the ground and first floors has almost been completed. Glazing has been fitted to approximately 30% of the office areas on the upper two floors and good progress has been made on these levels. 

The adjacent Combined Utilities Building is now structurally complete. The inner weatherproof envelope to the building has been installed and now awaits the completion of the perforated external cladding veil. A very large chiller plant, scrubbers and standby generators have now been delivered to the CUB.  

Following the completion of the concrete frame and the installation of the large cladding panels to the west and north of the new building, the western tower crane has now been removed. Work on the landscaped area adjacent to The Common has now started.