Bob Champion Building

The Bob Champion Research and Education Building opened on the Norwich Research Park in February 2015 and is the result of the largest capital fundraising campaign the University of East Anglia (UEA) has seen since 1963.

The building is a landmark achievement, housing both medical teaching and cutting edge research in an applied science environment. The building also houses a bio-bank facility which supports the world-class research that takes place elsewhere within the Norwich Research Park.

Designed by Hawkins/Brown Architects and built by RG Carter, the building is owned and managed by the UEA in partnership with the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH). This high specification building which covers 4,463m2 was completed in under 12 months using our ‘open book’ approach. Significant savings were generated by working closely with Hawkins/Brown Architects and the UEA’s cost consultant.

The close proximity of the NNUH meant that our Project Management Team had to liaise daily with emergency services and other nearby users to ensure the hospital’s bluelight route was not impacted by the works. We also engaged with a local helicopter consultant, the East Anglian Air Ambulance and the Royal Air Force in order to ensure that the hospital’s air traffic was operational during the programme period.

A soft landings approach was also employed throughout the project with ongoing monitoring and review of building performance.