Construction services provider Bowmer + Kirkland has been appointed by Network Space Developments (NSD) to construct the £54m Global Centre of Excellence in St Helens, UK.
The project site at Saints Retail Park was previously home to United Glassworks and was closed in the late 1990s.
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Later, it was developed by NSD for a new stadium for St Helens Rugby League, which was opened in 2011.
Remediation and preparatory works at the project site are planned to be completed shortly and the construction of the 165,000ft2 glass research and innovation facility will begin in January 2022.
The project is anticipated to complete in January 2023.
NSD stated that the new facility has already been pre let to St Helens Borough Council under a 15-year head lease and will be sublet to Glass Futures.
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By GlobalDataGlass Futures will use the new building for research and development projects to decarbonise production of glass.
Glass Futures CEO Richard Katz said: “Starting on site is monumental, it enables the delivery of a global test-bed facility to develop processes to make glass the most sustainable and recyclable material available.
“The research, innovations and energy efficiencies we deliver here can be shared and harnessed by all global glass applications including packaging, glazing and glass fibre as well as across other foundation industries.
“This Global Centre of Excellence, working in partnership with its members and the global glass industry, will enable us to work collaboratively with our members, the supply chain and academia to ultimately achieve zero carbon glass.”
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Rendering of the new £54m Global Centre of Excellence in St Helens, UK. Credit: Network Space.
