Deeley Construction set to complete university hat-trick

A Coventry construction firm is set to complete a hat-trick of refurbishment projects for Coventry University.

Deeley Construction has begun work on a £1.1m refurbishment programme which will see a row of properties in Whitefriars Lane transformed into a new Enterprise Hub, a reprographics centre and shop.

The project will take six months to complete and will totally restore the run of pre-war buildings.

The scheme comes hot on the heels of a refurbishment project on Alma Building, to create a new home for the university’s IT department, and the major improvements to the Alan Berry Building in University Square which is its main administration centre.

Both projects, which totalled in excess of £1.3m, were finished on time and in budget.

Martin Gallagher, managing director of Deeley Construction, said all three projects involved challenges set by the university’s location.

“The reason the university brings so much vitality to Coventry is because the hub of its campus is right in the city centre,” he said.

“That means in all three projects we have had to ensure that the surrounding areas remain open and continue to function as normal, which is always a challenge.

“While all three have involved restoring and refurbishing buildings, they have been very different. Alan Berry is very much the front door of the university and is very high profile, and while Alma Building is not in such a prominent location, it houses massively important functions and is very much an engine room of the university.”

The university has spent in excess of £150m in the last five years improving its campus – much of it spent on refurbishment.

Rob Talliss, director of estates for the university, said: “Of course our large landmark projects grab attention, but we have a very progressive on-going programme of refurbishments which adapt our existing stock to make it suitable for modern learning methods and other relevant contemporary uses.

“As a city centre university we have a responsibility to do our utmost to improve the environment, and that means ensuring that everyday life can continue for local people and visitors while we undertake our work.

“Deeley Construction has helped us do that on all fronts and it has been a very good partnership between two local organisations.”