NRC Coleraine Campus Has Officially Opened Its Doors!

NRC Coleraine Campus has opened its door to the students, staff & wider community. The new £46 million College is situated at the original location of Union Street in Coleraine. The new four storey campus spans across 12,600m2 providing an innovative centre for the students and staff. The Victorian B2 listed building which was the former St Patrick’s Hall established in 1881 has been restored and refurbished as an Arts and Performance centre. Both the buildings are linked with a pathway. The school will cater for more than 1,000 students and house around 150 staff.

NUGENT were delighted to have been appointed the MEP Contractors alongside Main Contractors Heron Bros. The £46 million campus was fully funded by the Department for Economy as part of an investment programme. NUGENT were employed as one of Heron Bro’s Main Sub Contractor to firstly develop the MEP design which involved heavily liaising with the NRC College and Heron Bros themselves. Engaging early to enhance and refine NRC’s specific requirements was crucial to ensure end user functionality, efficiency and high end quality.

Digital Construction was a massive factor for the project. We utilised BIM to model and co-ordinated our MEP services to avoid structural and architectural elements. The project entailed a collaborative approach with the Main Contractor and Sub-Contractors, this was achieved through design and site progress meetings throughout the duration of the project.

NUGENT see Digital Construction & OSM (Off site Manufacturing), as a key benefit to the delivery of exceptional MEP projects. OSM generates less emission compared to conventional construction methods which overall reduces greenhouse gases massively. BIM is the process of constructing intelligent 3D models of buildings which improves the delivery and construction process of our heavily serviced MEP projects.

We utilised our in-house OSM to enhance quality control, reduce environmental impact to the environment, minimise deliveries and reduce noise. Our OSM Modular methods are designed, planned, manufactured, pre-assembled and commissioned prior to arriving on site. The rooftop plantroom consisted of 4x modular gas fired boilers and 3x hot water cylinder heaters together with pumps heating, domestic and gas pipework & associated kit. These prefabricated steel section skids were successfully lifted by a central Tower Crane and carefully lowered through purlins into 4^th floor rooftop plantroom.

We utilised the use of Construction Management Software including Procore and OpenSpace keeping all relevant stakeholders digitally up to date. OpenSpace was a fantastic tool utilised for the project, we could track progress on site, ensuring that installation was progressing with the model. OpenSpace is highly advanced, you can walk through the model with the real walk-through taken from site & compare the reality with digital.

The four storey campus has multiple learning facilities including but not limited too:

• 17 x Classrooms/IT Suites
• 24 x Workshops/Training Suites
• 7 x Laboratories
• Animal Management Area
• Hair and Beauty Salons (Open to the Public)
• Training Restaurant (Open to the Public)
• TV Studio and Control Room
• Innovation Zone and Central Hall
• Sports Hall marked out for Basketball, Badminton, 5-aside football, Tennis and Volleyball
• Fitness Suite
• Study Centre
• Canteen
• Staff Workspace
• Staff Social Area
• Bookable Meeting Rooms
• Boardroom, Interview Rooms and Seminar Rooms

(All Images are copyright of NUGENT)

The world-class learning environment for students, staff and the wider community officially opened on Wednesday 2nd October. Economy Minister, Conor Murphy officially opened the college, US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy III also attended the historic opening. The college has become a significant landmark in the heart of Coleraine community.

Mechanical Contracts Manager, Conor Fitzpatrick said, “We’re thrilled to have been involved in a local project of this size and calibre, knowing how fortunate the next generation of students are who will pass through the revolving door entrance, for years to come. The state-of-the-art facilities in a stunning looking building which will stand prominent over the town for decades to come. We wish the students, staff, and wider local community all the best with their new learning environment”.

Northern Regional College had monthly drone footage of the project’s progress on YouTube, check it out below.

Causeway Campus Drone Footage – Sept 2024

Causeway Campus Drone Fly Through

Causeway Campus Official Opening Highlights

Our MEP services include but not limited too:

• Fire Rated Kitchen Extract
• LTHW Heating Installation
• Sanitary-ware Installation
• AC Installation
• Ventilation & Local Exhaust Ventilation
• External Trunk Main Installation
• Radiator & Radiant Panel Installation
• Wood Dust Extract System / Welding Extract System / Vehicle Exhaust System
• Fume Extraction
• Specialist Gas & Detection Installation
• Compressed Air & Specialist Gases
• BMS Installation
• HV & LV Main Switchgear
• Fire Protection System – Dry Riser
• Natural Gas & Compressed Air System
• Generator Installation
• General Power Supplies & Meter Monitoring
• Structural Cabling
• General & Emergency Lighting, Lightning Protection
• Fire Alarms
• Integrated Fire & Security Systems
• Intercom Systems, Room Booking Systems & Intruder Alarm System (PAVA)
• Disabled Toilet Call & Refuge Alarm System
• Uninterrupted Power Supply System

For more information, check out our Project Profile > NRC Coleraine Campus