Contractor appointed to deliver ‘landmark’ multi-million pound innovation centre
Construction firm Hobson & Porter has secured a multi-million-pound contract to construct the Aura Innovation Centre at Bridgehead Business Park for the University of Hull.
The Aura Innovation Centre will be a purpose-built facility that provides space to “collaborate and innovate to deliver low-carbon energy and clean growth.”
The new centre’s aim is to cater for research which addresses the challenges faced by the offshore wind and low-carbon energy industries.
This project will be Hobson & Porter’s eighth onshore building project in the offshore wind sector, taking total revenues for the Hull-based building contractor past £20m in a four-year period.
With support from GreenPort Hull & The European Regional Development Fund, Aura brings together expertise in renewable energy through a partnership that includes Ørsted and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, the universities of Hull, Sheffield and Durham, the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (OREC), CATCH (an industry led training partnership), the National Oceanography Centre and the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
Richard Hunter, managing director of Hobson & Porter, said: “We’re very excited to have been appointed as the main contractor of this landmark project.
“The Aura Innovation Centre will play a huge role in strengthening the region’s reputation as a leader in offshore wind innovation, bringing together the major players in the industry to foster a collaborative and forward-thinking culture in a world-class research facility. But it will also demonstrate the fantastic opportunities available to land-based contractors looking to become involved in the offshore sector.
Richard added: “The sector has a very exciting future in the Humber region and we want to play our part by working on schemes that contribute positively to this. This relatively new, fast-emerging market is testament to the hard work and collaboration of key decision makers in the region and we’re proud to be part of it.”
Construction of the Aura Innovation Centre is underway with the project expected to be completed by the end of 2019.
