The Veterinary Nursing and Technical Skills Centre at Hartpury University marked a construction milestone on Wednesday 24 July, with an informal ‘topping out’ ceremony.
Hartpury University’s Professor Andy Collop (Vice-Chancellor and CEO) and Rosie Scott Ward (Deputy Vice-Chancellor) joined members of the construction team to celebrate the building reaching its highest point.
The building will offer a state-of-the-art learning centre that will provide an engaging and structured learning experience for students, staff and industry. It will be at the heart of Hartpury University’s ongoing vision to produce the very best veterinary nurses that continue to meet and exceed the needs of employers, with its comprehensive veterinary nursing programmes fully accredited by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).
The construction team is an all-Gloucestershire group with Vitruvius Management Services as project lead, procuring Roberts Limbrick as architects and Barnwood Construction at the main contractor.
The building is being built to a BREEAM-certified standard, and the sustainable elements include solar panels and EV charging points in the parking bays. The ground floor will accommodate two laboratories with a shared preparation room and a flexible study space, while the first floor will house a clinical skills centre to be used largely for teaching clinical skills with the use of specialist equipment. An individual tuition room and office space for staff are also provided within the building.
Professor Andy Collop, Vice-Chancellor, Principal and CEO of Hartpury University and Hartpury College said: “We’re really pleased with the progress being made and want to thank all our partners as they continue to bring the Veterinary Nursing and Technical Skills Centre to life. It really will make a fantastic addition to campus and complement our comprehensive portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate veterinary nursing programmes. I also want to say a special thank you to Garfield Weston, for their financial support of this project."
Mark Price, Managing Director at Vitruvius Management Services said: “Having led the Hartpury vision for this project from inception, it was a pleasure for us to celebrate Barnwood Construction reaching the ‘topping out’ milestone. The good progress being made on the construction phase is bringing the outstanding Veterinary Nursing and Technical Skills Centre to life.”
Stuart Pearce, Joint Managing Director at Barnwood said: “We’re extremely pleased to be continuing our relationship with Hartpury University with the construction of this exciting build. We’re fully aware of the significant role this facility plays in the university’s continuing expansion and are fully committed to delivering a quality building on time and to budget. As you can see, progress is looking good, and we remain on target to complete at the end of the year.”
