Deanestor contributes to new world class School of Health and Wellbeing at University of Glasgow

Deanestor, one of the UK’s leading fitout specialists, has delivered its first project in the tertiary education sector – providing fitted furniture for the Clarice Pears Building which houses the University of Glasgow’s School of Health and Wellbeing.

Built by Multiplex and designed byAtkinsRéalis, the £50m facility on the University’s Gilmorehill Campus brings together five academic teams from different locations across Glasgow. This has created a single multi-disciplinary centre for world-class research into improving health and reducing health inequalities.

The building is named after Clarice Pears, the mother of the founders and trustees of the Pears Foundation which donated £5m towards the building’s construction.

Deanestor fitted out 42 rooms across five storeys, manufacturing more than 700 items of fitted furniture and joinery which included the main reception desk in the entrance atrium, purpose-designed tables and benching to level 1, informal booth seating to encourage social interaction and quiet study, storage solutions, kitchenettes, and worktops.

The choice of natural materials for the interior included extensive use of wood finishes to help promote a sense of naturalness and calm in the building.

Bespoke, full height meeting booths in a maple wood finish with brightly coloured seating according to the zone, add to the aesthetic impact and were also manufactured by Deanestor. The booths were provided in different sizes and configurations and incorporate acoustic treatment with padded upholstery above head height to create a canopy that promotes quiet working in the inclusive study spaces. Each was fitted with power, data and charging facilities.

Other booth-style seating arrangements were designed to encourage collaborative working and study whilst incorporating good acoustic performance with the use of upholstered screens.

Ramsay McDonald, Managing Director of Deanestor in Scotland, said, “This scheme, uniquely, utilises our experience of delivering fitout contracts for state-of-the-art hospital and laboratory projects and also multi-school campuses that promote a high level of collaborative learning and social integration.”

“The School of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow will help to address some of the greatest challenges facing society – in the UK and around the world – from tackling health inequality and disease to improving health and wellbeing. We are really proud to have contributed to this wonderful building that has created such an exciting global centre of research excellence.”

The Clarice Pears Building is a prominent feature on a new central university square and accommodates over 8,000sqm of research, engagement and teaching space. It will be used to host workshops and knowledge exchange events, as well as to develop new multi-disciplinary postgraduate courses.

The design of the building amplifies the spirit of the Institute and delivers a wellbeing and human-centric focused workspace in the city of Glasgow, which is also sustainable and uses natural strategies for light and ventilation.

A welcoming and publicly accessible space has been created on the ground floor to promote knowledge sharing and public engagement. This is reflected in the informal booth seating provided by Deanestor.

The project was a finalist at the recent Scottish Property Awards in the Development of the Year (Public Buildings) category.

Deanestor specialises in high quality furniture and fitout solutions to construction clients and contractors for major healthcare, education, build-to-rent and student living schemes. Its teams offer both standardised and bespoke fitted furniture design, joinery, manufacturing and installation to meet specific project requirements.