New Clean Pilot Hall

Constructed over a six-month period, SDC delivered a ‘Clean Water’ Pilot Hall for Cranfield University. The new single-storey hall, which links to the existing ‘Dirty’ hall, provides the Water Science Department with improved research capabilities and much needed space. The original Pilot Hall was established over ten years ago to provide researchers with the unique ability to test plant equipment with real sewage but suffered due to the need to test both dirty and clean water in the same space.

As such, the new £1m extension – funded by UK Collaboratorium for Research on Infrastructure and Cities (UKCRIC) as part of a new scheme to improve infrastructure throughout the UK – has allowed these functions to be separated. The new hall enables the research of treated sewage, whilst the aptly named ‘Dirty’ hall deals with ‘raw’ or untreated sewage received directly from Cranfield’s University 3,000 strong education campus.

The building itself is formed from a portal steel-frame and clad in a green composite panel to blend with its surroundings. In addition to the new research space, other facilities in the extension include a meeting room, kitchen and lounge area, and changing room with locker space.