Construction firm secures AECC contract

CONSTRUCTION consultancy Turner & Townsend has been selected to manage the construction of the new £333 million Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC) near the city’s international airport.

Andy Outram says there will be challenges. Picture: Contributed

The firm, which has offices in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow, said it will project manage the first phase of construction and be responsible for the overall programme management of the development, which will be built on the site of the Rowett Research Institute at Bucksburn.

It will be working for specialist property developer Henry Boot Developments, which is partnering with Aberdeen City Council on the scheme.

Andy Outram, director for Turner & Townsend, said: “We have supported Henry Boot throughout the whole bid process with the city council and we’re looking forward to being a crucial partner in delivering this state-of-the-art public facility, which will compete on a world stage.

“Over the next three years, our role will be to overcome numerous challenges including construction so close to the airport, diverting large scale utilities and repositioning three existing watercourse to create a new park.”

Nick Harris, director for Henry Boot Developments, said the new AECC will be “a key element of the business structure needed to promote Aberdeen as a world energy city and the energy capital of Europe”.

The 105,000 square-metre complex is set to include a 9,000 square metre 12,500-capacity arena, and is due to be completed in 2019.