Work has begun on the latest project at Queen’s University Belfast, which is being constructed by O’Hare and McGovern.

The foundation stone has been laid at the new £39 million School of Biological Sciences faculty at the city’s Chlorine Gardens and is due to open in August 2018.

Patrick Johnson, the university’s vice-chancellor, said that the commencement of work on the new faculty is a significant milestone for the agri-food and life science sectors in Nothern Ireland, and also globally.

He added that the new school will be a power house for these two sectors, which have both been pinpointed as key elements of the future prosperity for Northern Ireland.

The school will span 11,000 m2 and is the latest project in the university’s £700 million capital investment programme over the course of the next 20 years.

The latest project will be set over five storeys and is designed around a central glazed atrium.

It will integrate technologies to reduce carbon output such as a ground source heat pump system, ventilation heat recovery units and a combined heat and power engine.

The architect of the project is Scott Tallon Walker and has is designed to secure an ‘Excellent’ rating from BREEAM.

O’Hare and McGovern has already delivered some 13 projects for Queen’s University, with the first completed back in August 1989 and the most recent being the construction of Queen’s new Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine.

Eamon O’Hare, Managing Director at Queen’s University, said that their vision for the project’s delivery is to create a catalyst for environmental, economic and social change that will provide sustainable employment for the long-term unemployed, apprentices, students and local businesses.

Meanwhile, Simon Hamilton, Economy Minister, has revealed that a further 50 new civil engineering apprenticeships are to be made available.

Over a two year period, apprentices shall attend college on a day release basis, while working for their employer on a full-time basis.