Ashe returns to University of Hertfordshire for major decarbonisation and refurbishment projects

Ashe Construction has just started work on a major refurbishment project at the University of Hertfordshire to create a new Medical Centre at the Health Research Building.

Procured under the SCAPE framework, the £4.5m project will take place on all floors of the building which was originally constructed in 2006. There is currently a mixture of offices and technical teaching spaces for the optometry department, however the building will be converted to create new spaces for the University’s medical school and include general teaching areas such as lecture theatres, seminar rooms and a computer lab.

The building will also house technical and practical teaching spaces that will replicate real world NHS facilities to the finishes and specifications of current NHS standards.

A nursing bed ward with bedhead trunking that will look and feel like a real hospital ward will be provided along with an immersive skills lab to aid learning. The refurbishment will also include creating an open plan office space for the medical school staff.

The project marks a return to the University’s College Lane campus to work on several more buildings to bring them up to modern standards and make them more efficient.

The university caters for around 35,000 students and is undergoing a programme of replacing outdated buildings, decarbonising existing buildings as part of its race to Net Zero by 2050 and opening up the outdoor space for its Green Herts Project.

Procured under the NHS SBS decarbonisation and refurbishment framework, Ashe has recently completed working on a £1.2m contract to upgrade levels one and two of the Innovation Centre which was built in 2003. The existing office space in the three-storey building has been converted from smaller offices into a mixture of open plan and semi cellular office spaces.

All of the work took place while the ground floor remained in operation and great care in programming and logistics ensured that disruption was minimised.

Alongside this project, Ashe has been working on a £1.6m upgrade at the University’s Todd Building, also on College Lane Campus. This project, again procured under the NHS SBS framework, included providing new heating, cooling and ventilation via air source heat pumps, removing reliance on the old gas heating system, and internal refurbishment.

The team has replaced the existing PV panels and installed a new fully insulated roof. A new metering infrastructure will help the university to monitor consumption, and the mechanical and electrical systems will be controlled by a new building management system.

The internal spaces have been refurbished to provide two new animation laboratories for the University’s Computer Animation and Visual Effects degree courses enabling the courses to expand from 110 to 150 students per year.

Audio visual installations included 4k laser projectors, a Bose in-ceiling loudspeaker and mic system, repeater displays, AV lecterns with wireless presentation/lecture streaming capability and ePTZ cameras, allowing students access to the latest equipment.

Business development director Andy Morris said: “There were numerous design challenges on this project as we were working within an existing building. However, through computer modelling we’ve been able to overcome the limited space between roof trusses to help with our mechanical, electrical and plumbing coordination and ensure safety at all times.

“The end-product is interesting because the plan is to have very dark teaching spaces, but some colour introduced in fixtures and fittings.”

University of Hertfordshire’s Building Surveyor Helen Buck added: “There have been many challenges, but Ashe led the design team to deliver a great project.

“Ashe has been working with us on several projects, and their knowledge of the site has been helpful. The project teams have been able to pool resources with subcontractors efficiently working across different sites around the university.

“The Todd Building project had a very tight programme, but Ashe’s whole supply chain came together to achieve the target finish date.”

Commenting on the University’s sustainability goals, Helen Buck explained: “The decarbonisation target is very important to the University and Ashe has carried out validation surveys that have informed the decarbonisation design for Todd Building.

“We are continuing to work on the decarbonisation project together which will hopefully happen in the summer of 2026 and I’m sure Ashe will continue to support us with the careful programming and planning required for this.”

A team of around 50 have been delivering these projects with Ashe’s work at the University due to be completed in July next year.