ROBERTSON Construction Central East has delivered a multi-million-pound refurbishment of the Queen’s Medical Research Institute (QMRI) for The University of Edinburgh.
The project is designed to create new research spaces to tackle major health challenges. Work has included a refurbishment of the ground, first and second floors of the five-storey building, made up of three strategic research centres: cardiovascular science, inflammation research and reproductive health.
Lab spaces were reconfigured to support research group relocations and to introduce new facilities, including an electrophysiology support area and a relocated mass spectrometry unit.
Works commenced with the internal demolition and strip-out of the building’s east block before a roof replacement and creation of new specialist labs and office facilities could begin.
Given the specialised nature of works taking place at a live medical research site, Robertson revealed it carefully managed the project using a phased approach in order to best protect both university and construction employees, in addition to ongoing research and long-term clinical experiments.
During the strip-out phase, potential risks included dust, noise, vibration, and possible exposure to chemical and radioactive materials. The team took a proactive approach to managing this process ahead of works commencing, including noise testing and trialling alternative access routes with researchers before works began. Robertson also drew on its expertise working in live healthcare environments to carry out the soft strip-out in-house, often working outside core hours to ensure minimal disruption.
The project had a focus on supporting the university’s net zero carbon goals. A low-carbon system for ventilation and fume extraction was installed, while all lighting was upgraded to low-energy LEDs.
David Cairns, regional MD, Robertson Construction Central East, said, “We have been a trusted delivery partner to the University of Edinburgh for a decade, and it was essential for us to deliver this project to the highest standards while maintaining the integrity of the research environment. From pre-construction planning to phased delivery, every decision was made to protect the vital work taking place within the building. This is a truly impactful, high-quality project, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with the University through further projects that are underway.”
Other recent university projects by Robertson include the completion of structural improvement and maintenance works at the Rutherford Building, Hunter Building and Appleton Tower.
