Work starts on home for UK's most powerful nuclear magnetic resonance instrument
Work has started to create a home for the UK’s most powerful nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) instrument at the University of Warwick.
Deeley Construction, which is headquartered in Coventry, has started work on a new building which will house the 1.2 GHz NMR spectrometer.
The spectrometer is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and will be provided by Bruker, with additional MAS probes from Phoenix.
Work is expected to be complete on the new single-storey building, which includes a magnet hall, control room and plant room, by early 2025 with the spectrometer installed by the middle of the year.
The instrument will allow the University of Warwick to carry out advanced research in how to make more efficient plant biofuels, improve batteries and solar cells.
Scientists from around the country will be able to use the instrument, alongside students from the University of Warwick and other universities. There are currently only seven other machines in operation across the globe.
Professor Steven Brown, Department of Physics at the University of Warwick, said: “It is exciting that the project is becoming more concrete as the contractors move onto site to start work on the new building for the state-of-the-art 1.2 GHz NMR spectrometer, for which delivery and installation is expected to be complete by mid-2025.
“This resource for the scientific community nationally will enable applications from pharmaceuticals to solar cells, from batteries to plant cell walls.”
The building is being constructed next to the existing NMR facility which accommodates a 1 GHz solid-state NMR system and was completed in 2020.
Deeley Construction also completed the construction of this facility, which featured a lobby, plantroom and an NMR hall.
The project was secured via Lot 1 of the University of Warwick’s Capital Programme Framework.
Martin Gallagher, Managing Director of Deeley Construction, said: “Our team is delivering this project in a live environment and ensuring minimal disruption to students and staff at the University of Warwick.
“This is the fourth project we have worked on at the university campus since 2020 and we are proud to work with the University of Warwick as one of its preferred contractors.
“When completed, the building will be home to an incredibly valuable scientific resource and further cement the university’s reputation as a leading research institution.”
Quantem is providing quantity surveying, employer’s agent and project management services on the project.
Chris Coleman, Partner at Quantem, said: “Our team is proud to be working on another prestigious project with the University of Warwick, supporting both the Estates Team and the Department of Physics in the delivery of the 1.2GHz facility with our multi-disciplinary team.
“With the pre-contract stages now complete, and construction works under way, we look forward to managing the project to completion.”
