Kier : wins major £160m Public Health England project

The largest of the four projects, known as Lot 1, will see the construction of a new laboratory facility with a gross internal area of approximately 17,000m². The new building will comprise of specialist bioscience laboratories with associated support facilities, including its own dedicated energy centre and external works.

This scheme forms part of PHE's new state-of-the-art public health science campus and headquarters at Harlow, Essex, with the new bioscience laboratory one of four projects being delivered at the site.

Other works being carried out include the refurbishment of existing buildings, construction of new administration and logistics buildings and installing site-wide infrastructure and ICT. Construction work is expected to begin in 2019, with this new building due to be operational by 2023.

PHE Harlow, as the campus will be known, is expected to employ up to 2,750 people by 2024, with scope for further expansion.

Facilities from Porton in Wiltshire, Colindale in north London, as well as PHE's central London headquarters will be relocated to the single centre of excellence for public health research, health improvement and protection.

Nigel Brook, Kier executive director, construction and infrastructure services, said: 'This £160m project is another significant award for Kier in bioscience, building on our track record as a specialist delivery partner in the sector with projects including biomedical research facilities for The University of Cambridge with Project Capella and the Sainsbury laboratory as well as the state-of-the-art Derriford Research Facility for Plymouth University.

'We can expect to see specialist sectors continuing to play a key role in the construction market in 2018, whether this is bioscience thanks to strong Government stimulus and funding through the new industrial strategy, to student accommodation due to a buoyant higher education market, through to sectors like industrial that have gained stimulus following the marked fall in Sterling.

'Kier is well placed to address this pipeline of work as a result of our track record and expertise in specialist sectors combined with a strong geographical footprint that lets us deliver at scale nationwide.'