THE newly built small animal clinical teaching building at the University of Nottingham’s Sutton Bonington Campus has reached completion, allowing the university to double its intake for related courses.
Called the Sir Peter Rubin Centre for Veterinary Education, the detached single storey facility has been designed by Nottingham-based architecture practice CPMG. The £3 million project showcases standout elements including glulam framing to support the university's net zero carbon strategy – keeping embodied carbon to a minimum through the choice of engineered wood beams.
In a bid to support the university's aim of bridging the skills gap currently facing the veterinary industry, the state-of-the-art facility includes a full practice, space for general teaching, along with spaces for both small animals and larger livestock.
Additional expert design considerations include an increased focus on hygiene throughout, due to the animal and veterinary care activity the space is set to be used for.
Alex Walker, associate and project lead at CPMG said: “Seeing this project come to fruition, with the facility now finalised and ready for the next intake of students, is incredibly rewarding as a Nottingham-based business. Following our appointment in March 2021, we’ve continued to grow our relationship with the university, working closely in reliable and timely manner to ensure the finalised practice is fit for purpose, made even harder during times such as the pandemic.”
“Utilising both the internal and external design, it’s great to see how this building is already at home next to the other facilities across the campus. The final result truly showcases some of the best elements of architecture, adaptability and project management, and it is a notch in our belt that we are very proud of at CPMG, as we continue to demonstrate our expertise in the private sector and education sector.”
The finalised project has achieved a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’, as well as exceeding RIBA’s targets for embodied and operational carbon. After a nomination, the project was shortlisted within the public sector category for the RICS Awards.
Professor Gary England, Foundation Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science at the University of Nottingham, said: “We are delighted that the Sir Peter Rubin Centre for Veterinary Medicine is complete. This facility will enable us to further provide state-of-the-art facilities to our ever-growing number of students. This new space is also another step towards helping us to fulfill our ambition in bridging the postgraduate skills gap currently facing the veterinary sector across the UK.”
Alongside CPMG, the project team included main contractor RG Carter, structural and MEP engineers Arup and landscape architects, Ares Landscape Architects
For more information on CPMG, visit https://www.cpmg-architects.com/.