Construction of the University of Huddersfield’s new National Health Innovation Campus (NHIC) has celebrated a key milestone with a topping out ceremony held at the Daphne Steele Building.
This first building on the Southgate site, close to the main university campus, is named after the UK’s first black matron. Daphne Steele emigrated to the UK from Guyana in the 1940s and the ceremony was attended by her son, Robert Steele, who unveiled a plaque watched by members of the Steele family.
The building named in Daphne’s honour is the first of the exciting project that will help to improve health outcomes and lead innovation in healthcare for the North of England. It will bring together public-facing facilities including award-winning student-led clinics, and be a focus for entrepreneurial academic activity, serving the regional and wider health economy in strong public-private partnerships. Specialist clinical teaching facilities will provide unparalleled support for workforce development.
The ceremony was attended by University of Huddersfield Vice-Chancellor Professor Bob Cryan CBE and guests included James Wimpenny, Executive Director of construction partners BAM Construction, Anthony Langen, Managing Director of architects AHR and Russell Green, Project Manager of construction consultants Gleeds.
Completion of the Daphne Steele Building, which also received a grant of £5.8m in capital funding from the Office For Students, is expected in September 2024.
“The scale of the thing is massive and everything I have heard about the innovative facilities plus the benefits to students and the wider community are fantastic,” declared Robert Steele.
“What would Daphne have made of all this? I think she would have been stunned, blown away and surprised that this is part of her legacy.”
“We were truly honoured when we were allowed to name this new building after Daphne, so I was absolutely delighted that Robert, along with members of her family and friends, joined us for the topping out ceremony,” said Professor Cryan.
“Daphne’s ethos of care and compassion allied to expertise is something that we hope everyone who studies and works in this facility will take with them. We are relishing the prospect of this building being fully operational later this year.”
James Wimpenny, Executive Director – Construction, at BAM, said: “This milestone marks not only the highest point of the build but also the culmination of the collaborative efforts of the client, design, and construction teams.
“At BAM we are passionate about building inspiring spaces that empower learning and enrich the University experience, and that is exactly what we are delivering here at the University’s new National Health Innovation Campus.”
Plans for more construction on the site adjacent to the Daphne Steele Building are well under way, with a reserved planning application for the second NHIC building having been submitted late in 2023.
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