Steel rises for new Leeds University business school

More than 650t of structural steelwork has begun to be erected for the Leeds University Business School and School of Law’s new teaching facility.

Designed by DLA Architecture, it has been named the Esther Simpson building in honour of a former graduate. The four-storey structure will provide flexible teaching spaces, lecture theatres and trading rooms, and a large entrance foyer. As many of these areas are large column-free space, a steel framing solution was chosen as the most economic.

Working on behalf of main contractor BAM Construction, Elland Steel Structures is fabricating, supplying and erecting the steelwork.

BAM Construction Director Kelvin Pollard said: “It is fantastic to be building another world-class teaching facility at the University of Leeds, where we are already on site delivering the Sir William Henry Bragg building. We have well-established, strong working relationships with the University and this is an excellent basis to work from.”

The project is due to be completed in 2021.