Doors open at Manchester’s steel-framed cancer centre

The £28.5M Manchester Cancer Research Centre (MCRC) laboratory facility at the Christie Hospital in south Manchester has opened.

Steel construction came to the fore on this project as the building features a number of architectural elements best accomplished with a steelwork solution.

The front of the structure has a large cantilevering façade formed with a series of 16m long × 4.4m deep steel trusses. EvadX, working on behalf of main contractor Pochin, erected approximately 500t of structural steelwork for the project.

Professor Nic Jones, the Centre’s Director, said: “I am thrilled to see the building open as it looks absolutely fantastic.

“The new research centre will make a tremendous difference to the way cancer is treated in future as it will attract world-class scientists and help to save thousands of lives both here and around the world.”

Experts will be able to use an array of technologies and equipment at the Manchester Cancer Research Centre, which has been designed to help its 250 staff share and develop ideas.

The centre will boost research and help ensure that new treatments reach patients faster.

It will also develop personalised cancer treatments by building knowledge of each individual patient’s disease.

The centre includes laboratories, meeting rooms, a lecture theatre and a cafe.