Balfour Kilpatrick has been awarded a £7m mechanical services contract for a new research facility for the University of Edinburgh in Easter Bush.

The £38m state-of-the-art research centre will be located near Penicuik. The new building forms part of the University of Edinburgh's Easter Bush redevelopment project and will be based opposite a new vet school teaching building.

Around 500 scientists from The Roslin Institute and the Scottish Agriculture College will be brought together under one roof when the research facility opens in 2011.

The building has been designed to resemble the shape of a pair of chromosomes, with coloured panels representing the DNA 'fins' which link the office and research laboratory blocks together.

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Our scope of work comprises all mechanical services including heating, cooling, domestic service, dry risers, ventilation, steam, thermal insulation, medical gasses, compressed air, sprinklers, fume extract, energy management and gas suppression.

A key task during the pre-commencement period will be to review how we can apply our experience of prefabrication and modularisation to the project. This is a highly serviced building designed to meet high standards, which we will hope to improve on with off-site manufacture where possible.

BAM Construction is the ultimate client for the project, and Faber Maunsell is the M&E consultant.

The Livingston office previously carried out a £1m electrical services contract for a new research building for the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency, completed in 2005.

Balfour Kilpatrick's works start on site in October 2009 and will be completed late autumn 2010.

(GK/JM)