Imagery by AtkinsRéalis
Deanestor, one of the UK’s leading fitout specialists, has delivered its first project in the tertiary education sector – providing fitted furniture for the Clarice Pears Building which houses the University of Glasgow’s School of Health and Wellbeing.
Built by Multiplex and designed by AtkinsRéalis, the £50m facility on the University’s Gilmorehill Campus brings together five academic teams from different locations across Glasgow. This has created a single multi-disciplinary centre for world-class research into improving health and reducing health inequalities.
Deanestor fitted out 42 rooms across five storeys, manufacturing more than 700 items of fitted furniture and joinery which included the main reception desk in the entrance atrium, purpose-designed tables and benching to level 1, informal booth seating to encourage social interaction and quiet study, storage solutions, kitchenettes, and worktops.
The choice of natural materials for the interior included extensive use of wood finishes to help promote a sense of naturalness and calm in the building.
Bespoke, full height meeting booths in a maple wood finish with brightly coloured seating according to the zone, add to the aesthetic impact and were also manufactured by Deanestor. The booths were provided in different sizes and configurations and incorporate acoustic treatment with padded upholstery above head height to create a canopy that promotes quiet working in the inclusive study spaces. Each was fitted with power, data and charging facilities.
Other booth-style seating arrangements were designed to encourage collaborative working and study whilst incorporating good acoustic performance with the use of upholstered screens.
“This scheme, uniquely, utilises our experience of delivering fitout contracts for state-of-the-art hospital and laboratory projects and also multi-school campuses that promote a high level of collaborative learning and social integration," says Ramsay McDonald, Managing Director of Deanestor in Scotland.
“The School of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow will help to address some of the greatest challenges facing society – in the UK and around the world – from tackling health inequality and disease to improving health and wellbeing. We are really proud to have contributed to this wonderful building that has created such an exciting global centre of research excellence.”
