Balfour Beatty has been commissioned to construct what will be the UK’s biggest COVID-19 testing laboratory.
Balfour Beatty is building the new 225,000 sq. ft Rosalind Franklin Laboratory in Royal Leamington Spa for NHS Test and Trace.
Adopting a modular approach to the construction process means part of the lab is already in operation.
Naturally, as more sections are added, testing capacity will be increased further.
The lab is due for completion later this year.
When fully up and running, the lab should add hundreds of thousands of tests to the UK’s daily COVID-19 testing capacity.
Works include the construction of a series of laboratory lines within the facility, as well as the associated welfare and waste management facilities.
Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick is providing mechanical and electrical works for the new lab.
Commenting on the development, Mark Bullock, chief executive of UK Construction Services at Balfour Beatty, said: “Once complete, the facility will be the largest of its type in the UK and one of the largest in Europe, representing a significant investment in the UK’s pandemic response infrastructure for the future and integral to tackling the COVID-19 pandemic in the immediate term.”
The project was awarded through the Crown Commercial Services framework.
Image: Mufid Majnun/Shutterstock
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