Keble College appoints BAM as contractor for significant new works
Hemel Hempstead, 4 March 2016 - New project takes BAM past £200 million of construction works in Oxfordshire over 12 years. One of the largest of Oxford University’s Colleges, Keble College, has appointed BAM Construction – the firm behind the new wing for the Ashmolean Museum – to commence a significant new build programme. The programme is valued at around £50 million and among the largest BAM has ever secured in the county.
The appointment by Keble College takes BAM past a milestone of £200 million of work in Oxfordshire delivered over the past 12 years. Keble was founded in 1870, around the same time that BAM began trading.
Anthony Nagle, who has led BAM’s work in Oxford since 2008, said: ‘This scheme re-unites us with Rick Mather architects, the designers behind our work at the Ashmolean Museum here when I first came to Oxford. It’s a pleasing testament to our work on that scheme and on the recent Softbridge building for St Antony’s College, that we’re trusted to deliver what will be another challenging development for the City and education in the UK.’
The Bursar of Keble College, Roger Boden, said: ‘It matters to us that we are dealing with a firm that, although multinational, has deep roots in the region and a team that guards its reputation jealously. We chose BAM primarily because of its strong focus on collaborative teamwork. The basis of any construction project is of course contractual, but for us a successful project is all about trust and a shared vision of what we want to achieve.’
The building has complex façade retention and basement works. The retained façade will be ‘lifted’ on pile stilts whilst the extensive redevelopment of the basement is completed. There will be a need to protect neighbouring buildings and public access as well as delivering a high quality finish.
Several of the BAM management team have worked on the company’s previous schemes in Oxford and work in or near the area.
Apart from the Ashmolean, BAM delivered a suite of healthcare developments under the P21 programme for the Oxford Radcliffe Hospital NHS Trust including their new cardiac unit. It previous delivered three other buildings for the University in 2003-2005, and it is also behind the new retirement village in Witney.
Mr Nagle added: ‘In my time in Oxford, I have come to expect nothing but the best buildings and most complex works. Everything built here is bespoke, with top class architecture. To this, we bring technical expertise and experience and every project we deliver here has been special, but that is the nature of Oxford.’
The works commence in spring 2016 and will be completed in summer, 2018.
www.keble.ox.ac.uk/about/news/developing-the-h-b-allen-centre-february-2016-update