The Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology (CDHT) is being built to help establish Belfast as a centre for the design and development of medical devices and diagnostics
The six-storey building will be built at 2-5a Fredrick Street in Belfast, where Northland House stood until recently. The site is being cleared by B Small Contractors.
A main construction contract, with an estimated value of 拢18m is expected to be awarded imminently. Overall project cost is around 拢42m.
The new life sciences building, designed by Todd Architects with Arup and Turner & Townsend, will comprise laboratories, office spaces, communal meeting areas, and public realm improvements to Frederick Street.
The architects said: 鈥淭he building form envisages a robust brick base 鈥� in keeping with the wider family of campus buildings 鈥� with an articulated filigree screen responding to the Frederick Street frontage and comprising high-quality curtain walling and natural stone clad panels with further glass reinforced concrete fins to introduce a finer grain and provide visual interest. Feature fins to key internal spaces on the upper levels will vary orientation in response to environmental conditions and provide a playful element to this key street elevation.鈥�
CDHT is required to achieve a BREEAM 'Excellent' rating low-energy systems and climate-resilient materials are proposed throughout, to achieve a low carbon building. Solar photovoltaic panels are included on the roof and a green roof is proposed on the a terrace.