Representatives from Cowlin, a Balfour Beatty brand, and the University of Bath recently held a topping-out ceremony to mark the completion of the main construction work for the first phase of 1 West Building.

Martyn Whalley, the University's Director of Estates, officially topped out the building by completing the final roof section of the vapour barrier. Those present also included representatives from the wider project team.

1 West is a key academic building at the heart of the University's Claverton campus. The University has planned three phases of work to refurbish and extend the building to provide additional learning facilities, computer laboratories, research facilities and offices. Phase 1 consists of a five storey extension built on the extended footprint of an earlier single storey wing.


The extension, which is now ready for Cowlin to fit out, provides additional general teaching areas as well as a mix of open plan and individual offices and meeting rooms. The superstructure is a steel frame with deep and long spanning 14 metre precast concrete floor units and SIP panels. The building is clad with a combination of Bath stone, curtain walling and thin glass reinforced concrete rain screen panels.

Cowlin was working on a busy campus and in a constricted site, close to other buildings, including the University library which is only three metres from the site boundary. There were also parking restrictions on site, meaning the site team and subcontractors had to find alternative parking arrangements. A novel solution was reached in collaboration with the local Bath Cats & Dogs Home. In return for a donation to the charity, the Home allowed parking in a large field they own. A shuttle bus transported the site team and subcontractors between the field and the construction site.

The building is on programme to finish in September this year.

(CD/MH)