Mace has been appointed as the preferred contractor for a new headquarters of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).
The company signed a Pre-Construction Services Agreement (PCSA) to lead the procurement of the design of the new headquarters, which will be located on the University of Reading’s Whiteknights Campus. The deal is worth £4m and the project currently has £23.7m in private funding, according to data provider Glenigan.
Mace was appointed to the project by the Government Property Agency (GPA) through the Crown Commercial Service framework.
Terry Spraggett, managing director of public sector construction at Mace, said: “Mace has a long track record of maximizing value in the public sector, putting sustainability at the heart of every project delivery.
“Together with our supply chain partners, we will deliver lasting benefits and find innovative ways to push the boundaries of zero-carbon delivery.”
The building will house a research institute and will be able to produce and distribute numerical weather forecasts to ECMWF member states at all hours of the day. It will also include a conference center, board room, interactive weather room and interdisciplinary workspaces.
The new headquarters will join the other weather and climate research facilities on campus to create the largest group of meteorological buildings in the world. It will be based alongside the University of Reading’s Department of Meteorology and facilities at the UK Met Office, NERC’s National Center for Atmospheric Sciences and NERC’s National Center for Earth Observation.
The building is aiming for a BREEAM Excellent rating and will be low carbon in construction and operation.
GPA’s director of capital projects, Clive Anderson, said: “The GPA has been working in partnership with the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, the ECMWF and the University of Reading to deliver the new building of the his.
“We are delighted to receive the support [cost consultant] AtkinsRéalis and Mace in the development of the presentation to offer a modern, accessible and highly sustainable building”.
Last month, Mace signed a PCSA to build a science center near Oxford that will house the world’s most powerful laser.
