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ICONIC SPACE PARK LEICESTER SCOOPS TOP BUILDING AWARDS
The world ’ s first science and innovation park dedicated to space-related companies has won two prestigious building awards .
Space Park Leicester was officially opened by UK astronaut Tim Peake earlier this year and has built an impressive reputation for itself working on ground-breaking projects such as NASA ’ s internationally acclaimed James Webb Space Telescope .
The £ 46.4 million facility designed by Shepheard Epstein Hunter architects and constructed by Bowmer + Kirkland , is home to a community of leading organisations , academics from the University of Leicester and students who are undertaking world-leading research and driving growth in the space and space-enabled sectors .
Now it has added two more accolades to its growing list of achievements having won both the Large Non-Residential Scheme of the Year Award and the Regeneration Project of the Year Award at the ProCon Leicestershire Awards which celebrate the best of the county ’ s built environment .
Neil Loxton , Head of Project Delivery at the University of Leicester said : “ The creation of Space Park Leicester took a long disused , contaminated brownfield site in a flood risk zone and transformed it into a major generator of social , economic and environmental improvement .
“ The facility is set to contribute £ 750 million a year to the UK space sector over the next decade and to support more than 2,500 direct and indirect jobs in the East Midlands .
“ The scheme was delivered within budget and on time , despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic . It is an incredible success story for Leicester and the East Midlands and we ’ re thrilled that this world-leading development has been recognised by the judges at the ProCon Leicestershire Awards .”
Space Park Leicester is a project led by the University of Leicester in partnership with Leicester City Council and the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership ( LLEP ).
The 9,700 m2 facility provides state-of-the-art facilities for research , development and manufacturing , with offices , shared laboratories , teaching facilities and co-working spaces , focussing primarily on research , development and applications of space .
Firms have the opportunity to locate their business on a shortor long-term basis at Space Park Leicester .
Dr Patricia Martin del Guayo , who led Shepheard Epstein Hunter ’ s team of architects for the project since 2017 , said : “ This is great recognition for a huge team effort providing something unique in the world which enables industry and university to work closely together on key issues like climate change .
“ It has brought a contaminated overgrown site in a flood risk area safely back into use , it welcomes schoolchildren as much as leading researchers and is designed as a low-energy , sustainable project which will last 100 years or more and can change and adapt to support the pioneering research in the building .”
Space Park Leicester ’ s latest success comes on the back of it winning the Sustainable Project of the Year Award at the East Midlands Property Awards in September .
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