Education

Our services in the education sector focus on creating functional and sustainable learning environments. Explore some of our featured projects below.

The Waterside Building, Durham University Business School

Client: Durham University

Project value: £16,000,000

Main Contractor: Overbury

Architect: Ryders

Hickton Quality Control played a key role in the Waterside Building project for Durham University Business School, providing Clerk of Works services to ensure the highest standards of quality and compliance throughout the £16 million refurbishment.

The project, completed in September 2024, involved transforming the former Durham County Council Headquarters into a modern, state-of-the-art facility with teaching spaces, study areas, and recreational facilities for students and staff.

Carnegie School of Sport

Client: Leeds Beckett University

Discipline: Building and M&E Clerk of Works services

Construction value: £45m

BREEAM Excellent and EPC A-rated

We were appointed by Leeds Beckett University to provide Building and M&E Clerk of Works services for the build of Carnegie School of Sport.

The building acts as an hub for elite athletes, sports and industry partners, and provides a wealth of outstanding facilities, including; dedicated research laboratories, hypoxic laboratory, health and wellbeing studio, an indoor sprint track for performance training and analysis, a roof walking track and terrace, enhanced strength and conditioning space and changing and recovery facilities. In addition, there are networking spaces for students, staff and visitors, a café, informal teaching space and learning support that fosters inter-disciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Barbara Hepworth Building

Client: Morgan Sindall Construction

Project value: £30m

Completion: 2019

Awards:

Project of the Year at the Constructing Excellence awards 2019
Commercial Build at the Northern Design Awards 2019
Building Project of the Year (over £10m) at the Constructing Excellence Awards Yorkshire and Humber 2019.

The award-winning Barbara Hepworth Building – named after the famous Yorkshire-born sculptor – provides cutting-edge design with a daring cantilevered floor projecting out towards the canal. It is designed by multi-award-winning architecture and building consultancy practice, AHR. The building provides students of University of Huddersfield with construction studios, computer-aided design laboratories and fine art studios, as-well-as more generic educational facilities such as lecture rooms, research space and a library.

We were delighted to provide Quality Site Inspections (Clerk of Works services) on behalf of Morgan Sindall Construction, for this £30m eye catching building, which sits alongside the picturesque Huddersfield Narrow Canal.

MountJoy Teaching and Learning Centre

Value: £25,000,000

Client: Turner and Townsend / Durham University

Main Contractor: Galliford Try

We’ve supported Durham University on several campus developments, including the award-winning Mountjoy Teaching and Learning Centre. Located next to a conservation area and within view of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the building features a striking roof profile and a top-lit central courtyard that connects a café, large lecture theatres, seminar spaces and project rooms.

Designed to support a range of teaching styles, the centre includes areas for collaboration, self-guided group work and flipped learning. The vaulted top floor offers an expansive ‘learning commons’, with full-height windows framing views of the surrounding landscape and cathedral.

Sandilands Community Primary School

Value: £13,700,000

Client: Atkins Realis

Main Contractor: Tilbury Douglas Construction Ltd

We take pride in delivering high construction standards through our Clerk of Works services. As part of the Sandilands Community Primary School redevelopment in Wythenshawe, Manchester, we provided site inspections to ensure high standards were met throughout the build.

The development focuses on sustainability, featuring natural lighting, PV panels, and modern teaching spaces to create an improved learning environment for over 400 pupils.

Our role as Clerk of Works was key in monitoring workmanship, materials, and compliance with specifications. Through regular site visits, we identified and addressed potential defects early, helping to maintain progress and uphold quality across all phases of construction.

By applying our expertise to this significant £50 million educational project, we supported the successful delivery of a well-built, future-ready school for the local community.

Longton Lane Community Primary School

Value: £4,800,000

Client: Atkins Realis, FFE, St Helens Borough Council

Main Contractor: Tilbury Douglas Construction Ltd

Status: Ongoing

Hickton Quality Control is delivering Clerk of Works services for the redevelopment of a school site in St Helens, funded by the Department for Education’s School Rebuilding Programme with support from St Helens Borough Council.

The new two-storey building includes 13 classrooms, staff facilities, a main hall and a fully equipped kitchen. Our role involves regular inspections to monitor quality, compliance and health and safety on site, helping to prevent delays, reduce remedial work and support high construction standards throughout the project.

University of Liverpool

Client: University of Liverpool

Discipline: Building Clerk of Works services

Construction Value: £6.1m

Project Description:

Our on-site Clerk of Works closely monitored this £6.1m, prestigious 125 year old Grade II Listed building refurbishment, which now complete housing 2, 23 tonne CHP engines for the University of Liverpool.

Zenith Student Accommodation, Cardiff

Client: Fusion Students

Working on behalf of Fusion Students, we provided site inspections on this £40m, 26-storey tower development based on a tight city centre site. The project was erected on a small triangular piece of land in the middle of the city centre, there is a busy railway line running down one side, the feeder canal to Bute East Dock on the other side and a busy city road to the front. This meant that extra attention was needed to ensure everything was constructed correctly as there was little room for mistakes to be rectified.

Rochdale Sixth Form College

Client: Rochdale SFC

Discipline: Building Clerks of Works services

Project Description:

Rochdale is the first Sixth Form College to be opened in the UK since 2004, having opened its doors to students aged 16-18 in September 2010. We have recently been involved in the ground floor extension and alteration to the College in the Greater Manchester, Rochdale area. The college’s first set of academic results were in the top 5% of all sixth form institutions in the UK in value added terms and continues to make headlines for its academic performance.

Leeds College of Building

Client: CPC Project Services

Discipline: Building Clerks of Works services

Construction Value: £13m

BIM level 2
BREEAM excellent

Leeds College of Building is unique, being the first of its kind as the only further education college in the UK dedicated to construction and the built environment, earning themselves a national reputation.

Providing facility for teaching/training mainly focused on Building Services skills including plumbing, heating/ventilation and welding, as well as 3-dimensional design including BIM.

We provided Building Clerk of Works services through to completion of the new build as well as independent inspections including identifying defects and snagging. We were retained on the project by Leeds College of Building to undertake the role of “Technical Advisor/Quality Monitor” with respect to the Civil Engineering/Building works. Subsequently requiring a more proactive involvement providing advice and support to the College/professional team on technical issues over and beyond our standard level of service.

National Horizons Centre (NHC)

Client: Teesside University

Discipline: Clerks of Works Services

Construction Value: £22m

The National Horizons Centre (NHC) is a £22m centre of excellence for the bioscience industries. With research, partnerships and training at its core, the NHC brings together industry, academia, talent and world-class facilities to drive innovation and address the technical and digital skills needs of the life sciences sector. Together with partners, the NHC works to discover diseases earlier, develop novel treatments and deliver life-saving medicines quicker, safer and affordably.

Teesside University appointed us to provide Clerk of Works services for this iconic facility. We worked proactively with the contractors on-site to ensure that the building was delivered to the highest possible standard, as per our clients plans.

Student Life Building

Client: Teesside University

Project Value: £13.2m

Award: RICS North East Social Impact Awards – Education Award 2020

The striking £13.2m Student Life Building at Teesside University has been announced as the winner of 2020 RICS North East Social Impact Awards Education sector.
We are delighted to have worked alongside Willmott Dixon, Faulkner Browns Architects and Summers Inman, to provide Quality Site Inspections for this outstanding project, on behalf of our client Teesside University.

The three-storey building was created to become the “Student Hub”, with wellbeing at its heart. The hub allows access to information, development, and support through the latest physical and digital technologies. The University will also provide integral careers and employment guidance and latest opportunities to support students looking for employment and volunteering roles.

The Student Life Building was designed and constructed with Environmental Sustainability in mind, evidenced by its BREEAM Excellence and Energy Performance Certificate A ratings.