The Leadbitter Group has successfully delivered the University of Exeter a new research facility for its existing Mood Disorders Centre.
The £3.6 million Sir Henry Wellcome Building for Mood Disorders Research, named after the Wellcome Trust, the charitable foundation which funded the project, is a state-of-the-art facility which will enable the University to improve its clinical and therapy research in this area.
Located on the Streatham Campus, the two-storey building features a bold, semi-circular design with a small courtyard at its centre and a sedum roof. A covered walkway with glass screens runs through the courtyard and connects the Centre to the existing Washington Singer building.
The building houses a range of large and small treatment rooms and is fully-fitted with monitoring technology to facilitate the research of the Centre, including clinical trials to evaluate psychological therapies. A large open reception area and offices are also included, and the curved design of the building means that each room has a unique shape unlike any other.
Leadbitter took over the project just as the steel frame of the building was nearly complete when the original contractor went into receivership. The company was able to get up to speed quickly, engaging with many of the existing subcontractors and efficiently moving forward the construction. The building joins a list of projects Leadbitter has delivered for the University, including administration blocks, teaching facilities and research laboratories for its medical school, as well as student accommodation.
Rob Bradley, Regional Director of Leadbitter’s Western Construction division, said: “Despite the external economic circumstances which initially delayed the project, we were pleased to have the opportunity to work with the University of Exeter once again and delighted that we have been able to bring this important facility to completion for our client.”
Director and Co-founder of the Mood Disorders Centre, Professor Ed Watkins, said: “This building is the culmination of eight years of work which started in 2004 when the Mood Disorders Centre was founded. We are grateful to the Wellcome Trust for funding what we believe to be amongst the best facilities for psychological treatment research anywhere in the world.
“We look forward to the new advances and insights that this facility will support, and we are excited to see where the future will take us.”
