The Dunard Centre will be the first concert centre to be built in Edinburgh in over 100 years, in a contract worth £162m
The contract for the Dunard Centre, by IMPACT Scotland, has been awarded to Balfour Beatty.
The Centre will include an auditorium of 1,000 seats, a café, bar, and various multifunctional spaces.
A world-class concert hall
The construction of the Dunard Centre will include five storeys, with a double basement for performer changing, storage, and back-of-house facilities. Balfour Beatty will construct a steel frame with an envelope façade of pre-cast concrete panels.
Internally, solid oak panelling will be used within the hall.
Balfour Beatty have completed 18 months of Early Contractor Involvement which included collaboration with design and engineering partners for construction methodology, sequencing, logistics, and buildability.
The Centre will be located near the city centre of Edinburgh, behind St. Andrew Square.
Nick Rowan, managing director of Balfour Beatty’s regional business in Scotland, said: “We are proud to be entrusted with delivering what will become a nationally significant cultural venue in the heart of Edinburgh and have worked meticulously to plan every stage of this complex build, from construction logistics in a tightly constrained site, to the precision needed to achieve world-class acoustic performance.
“Our focus now is on safe, efficient and high-quality delivery, working closely with our local supply chain while creating meaningful jobs, apprenticeships and skills opportunities throughout the programme.”
Several major Scottish projects for Balfour Beatty
In September, Balfour Beatty was one of several contractors awarded a place on the Strategic Agreement for Overhead Line Works framework, for SP Energy Networks. The framework, worth £1.4bn, will work on replacing long-distance electricity systems in Scotland.
This framework will last for five years, and sees Balfour Beatty alongside Morgan Sindall Construction, M Group Energy, Aureos Energy, Wood, Painhas S.A., PLPC Ltd, and Cobra Instalaciones y Servicios SA.
The firms will replace and install 400kV, 275kV, and 132kV overhead line conductor systems.
Tony Wilson, managing director of Balfour Beatty’s Power Transmission and Distribution business said: “We’re proud to be a part of this strategic framework, which recognises our proven expertise in delivering complex overhead line projects and our track record of successful delivery in Scotland.
“Through the framework, we will work closely and collaboratively with SP Energy Networks transmission business and our local supply chain partners to ensure a stable and resilient electricity supply across Central and Southern Scotland, whilst also leaving a lasting, positive legacy for local communities through our commitment to providing numerous local employment opportunities.”
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