Major Stephenson Quarter project worth £24m snapped up by SES

SES Engineering Services (SES), leading national engineering specialist, has added its name to the roll call of key companies delivering a £24m education project currently underway at Newcastle’s £200m Stephenson Quarter development.

On this latest appointment, SES is making a return, along with main contractor Galliford Try, to the ambitious city centre development to work on the construction of the new 5,030 sq m North East Futures UTC (University Technical College).

University Technical Colleges are a new type of secondary school specifically designed for the 14-19 age group and are sponsored by a university. North East Futures UTC is sponsored by the University of Sunderland and has partnerships with all five north east universities.

David Clouston, managing director of Clouston Group, said: “This is an exciting project not only for Stephenson Quarter but for education in the city.

“The UTC has received wholehearted support from both the business community and Newcastle City Council as well as the region’s universities.

“The school will also benefit from direct links and access to some of the high-growth businesses choosing Stephenson Quarter as their preferred location.”

On earlier visits to site, SES was responsible for installing a full range of building services on The Rocket, a multi-storey office block, the four-star Crowne Plaza Hotel and Spa - a jewel in Newcastle’s burgeoning leisure sector - and a multi-storey car park. Work on Stephenson Quarter has led to the significant regeneration of a key site in the city.

Constructed over five-storeys, the UTC will be attached to the Hawthorn Engineering Works, a historic Georgian building, which played a key role in the North East’s contribution to development of the railways and also home to the world-famous Robert Stephenson and Company.

Catering for up to 600 pupils, the UTC will have a specialist focus on teaching health sciences robotics and IT. As such, the building requires state-of the-art building services, which led to SES’ appointment.

While on site, SES will face challenges such as connecting a historic building with the new build element. A lecture theatre will be created within the Hawthorn Engineering Works, whilst in an unusual move stemming from land constraints, a rooftop multi-use games area will feature on the new build element.

Steve Joyce, SES’ business director for the North, added: “Our experience of the education sector, particularly the work we have done recently with the contractor on the Priority Schools North East project, coupled with our knowledge of the site, will stand us in good stead to deliver the scheme in a timely fashion.

“This is one of the many exciting projects that SES is currently working on in the region and is one which clearly demonstrates our ethos of providing local knowledge and resources to all projects that we undertake.”

SES commenced on site in April and is due to complete its role in August.