Laing O’Rouke Group has won a £100m construction contract that will bring about the delivery of a £200m “Research and Translation Hub” for Imperial College London.

After completion, the Hub will be the centrepiece of the Imperial College London’s new innovation district known as Imperial West. The Hub will cover an area around 48,000sqm and will carry out internationally leading research and translation working with stakeholders from the business community, higher education sector and NHS.

Work is scheduled to begin by Laing O’Rouke in September and it’s expected that the two buildings which form the basis for the Hub will be completed in the summer of 2016.

Laing O’Rourke Leader for Construction UK, Steve Coleby said: “We are delighted to be working with Voreda and at Imperial College London on a development of such significance for research and business in the UK. Laing O’Rourke’s innovative approach to manufacturing and construction techniques along with our direct delivery capability serves as a fantastic complement to the schemes overall vision for being a world-class innovation hub. Collaboration, professionalism and attention to detail have been at the heart of the tender process and we now look forward to taking this approach through to the delivery phase.”

We often talk about housing being at the heart of the contruction industry, however we mustn’t overlook the obvious benefits to the construction industry through these larger education and public projects.