Conlon chosen for £16m Lancaster Uni job  

Following the completion of the 61,000 sq ft first phase of the university’s management school redevelopment in 2021, Conlon Construction has been picked for phase two. 

The second phase of the project will see the eastern portion of Lancaster University’s management complex, a 1970s office and teaching building, refurbished. 

It had originally been intended for the building to be demolished and replaced with a second new-build facility.

However, following a rethink, the university has opted to refurbish the existing building, despite earlier planning documents stating it had “passed its intended design life”.

Conlon Construction’s £15.8m contract runs for two years until July 2025. 

Deputy dean of Lancaster University Management School, James Faulconbridge, said: “We look forward to working with the appointed contractors to further develop the design for the refurbishment of our East Estate.

“As one of oldest business schools in the UK, the design will be sympathetic to our heritage but will bring the 1970s aspects of our buildings into line with the first-class, modern facilities provided by our new West Pavilion. This will mean our staff and students will have access to the same high standards and exciting spaces in all corners of our Management School.”

Plans for the overhaul of the management buildings were approved in 2017 and the first phase, a new-build £24m West Pavilion built on land next to the existing complex, opened in 2021. 

Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and delivered by John Turner Construction, the West Pavilion is a five-storey building housing three lecture theatres, two executive teaching suites, and three floors of workspace for academics and staff. 

A large atrium and new reception area link the new building with the existing LUMS facilities. The delivery architect was Liverpool firm ABW Architects.