The Test Cells Refurbishment project modernised a key part of City, University of London’s engineering teaching and research estate. The existing facilities dated from the 1970s and required significant improvements to health and safety, building services and the working environment to accommodate the continued expansion of the Engineering Department.

The project comprised the refurbishment of 14 existing test cells and the construction of four additional cells, creating approximately 600m² of specialist engineering space across two levels. The works included the extensive renewal of mechanical infrastructure to provide the increased ventilation, airflow and operational capacity required by the upgraded facilities, while working within the constraints of an existing pre-tensioned structure.

We led the design development, technical options appraisal and detailed stakeholder consultation, preparing the Outline and Final Business Cases required to secure University funding. Our role also included project management, programme and risk control, procurement strategy and coordination of the University, design team, contractor, academic users and Principal Investigators.

Delivery took place within a live and highly constrained university environment, adjacent to other construction projects and with parts of the facility remaining operational throughout. Key challenges included routing major mechanical services through an existing building with no available riser space, managing onerous planning requirements associated with nearby residents, and phasing completion to align with research commitments. Through robust stakeholder management, careful logistics planning and early risk reduction, the project delivered a modern, technically capable facility supporting high-quality engineering education and research.