Case Study: Mountbatten Complex, University of Southampton

When a fire raged through the original Mountbatten Building at the University of Southampton in 2005, a decision was taken to replace the facility with a state of the art, flexible interdisciplinary space.

The £55m Mountbatten research complex provides an innovative 21st century facility designed specifically to meet the long term needs of the School of Electronics and Computer Science and Optoelectronics Research Centre for research into nanotechnology and photonics.

Working in collaboration with the client, Trench Farrow provided project management expertise involving design consultants and the design and management teams. The application of many modern techniques to integrate the design and construction into a seamless delivery process resulted in rebuild programme which took a little over 18 months. This enabled the University to commence installation of new equipment for the start of the new academic year in summer 2008.

Key Facts

The Mountbatten design was commended by the City Planners for its stylish use of colour and form, and received a 2009 RIBA Award for Design.

The concrete-structured building has been designed with no combustible material, and will incorporate suitable fire suppression systems.

The building design has also been guided by the University’s Energy and Environmental Policy and will establish high standards for others to follow.