Shepherd wins £16m contract with university

SHEPHERD Construction has been appointed to build the new £27.5m library for the University of Leeds.

The contract is worth £16m for York-headquartered Shepherd and the building will be the first city-fronting building that the university has commissioned for over 30 years.

The new undergraduate library, which is due to complete at the beginning of 2015, is designed to provide 1,000 reader seats, flexible training rooms, community classrooms and a café, plus flexible space for 6,800 linear metres of book stock.

Kevin Donegan, managing director of Shepherd Construction’s North Region said: “We are delighted to be working on this high profile project in Leeds, which will enhance the University’s facilities and provide their students with an exceptional learning environment.

“We are looking forward to working closely with the University, students and the local community throughout the construction programme, keeping them fully involved in the project as work progresses.”

Shepherd beat Balfour Beatty, BAM, Miller, Morgan Sindall and Willmott Dixon to secure the contract.

Professor Michael Arthur, vice-chancellor of the University of Leeds, said: “The University of Leeds already has one of the best academic libraries in the country and the addition of the new undergraduate library will further enhance that. This is a major investment which will ensure that the University continues to provide an exceptional educational experience for our students and world-class facilities for our staff.”

The current library is situated in the Edward Boyle building on the main campus until the new building is complete.