We’re pleased to announce yet another successful project completion, with the Queen Mary University of London Information Teaching Laboratory (ITL) now handed over to a satisfied client.

 

CMB have been delivering the £1.7 Million Mechanical services for this development in the heart of London for the past 18 months. The newly refurbished building will increase its capacity by over 50% by now offering 160 new workspaces to meet the surging demand for computer science teaching and has been designed to move beyond conventional teaching spaces.

 

The £20 Million 5-storey development consists of 2 entirely new floors (bringing the space to over 4,300 sqm) and includes a total redesign of the layout, offering reconfigurable spaces that encourage active learning and group work, new student-focused collaborative spaces and meeting rooms, project-based teaching spaces, and brand-new social spaces. The extension aims to deliver cutting-edge facilities for the next generation of AI and data science pioneers.

 

CMB delivered a comprehensive package of mechanical services as part of the refurbishment and extension works at the QMUL ITL building. Central to the installation was a new heating and cooling VRF system, serving every floor and office to provide an energy‑efficient and fully controllable internal environment. This was complemented by a network of Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) units, supplying fresh air and extracting stale air from each floor to support indoor air quality and energy performance.

 

Toilets were equipped with dedicated heat‑recovery extract systems, ensuring effective ventilation while minimising heat loss. A complete new domestic water system was installed to supply all toilet areas, water fountains, and kitchenettes throughout the building. In addition, CMB Mechanical delivered a fully integrated Automatic Gas Detection (AGD) system, enhancing safety across key technical spaces.

 

A new Building Management System (BMS) was also installed and seamlessly integrated into the existing campus network, providing centralised monitoring and control of all mechanical services. The works were completed with the installation of a new dry riser for fire safety and a comprehensive leak detection system to protect critical areas and infrastructure.

 

The ITL building is a strong example of how refurbishment projects can deliver meaningful sustainability improvements – something which has been at the heart of many projects we have undertaken at CMB in recent years, in partnership with Willmott Dixon. The latest example of this being Hounsome Fields School in Hampshire, where we carried out the Mechanical contract for Willmott Dixon for the new primary school designed to meet Passivhaus Classic certification standards. The refurbishment for ITL has included major energy-saving measures such as a green roof, solar PV panels, and air-source heat pumps, all designed to significantly enhance the building’s thermal efficiency and overall environmental performance.

 

Professor Steve Uhlig, Head of the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science said:

 

“The Informatics Teaching Laboratory has been the heart of computer science at Queen Mary for decades. The ITL has been designed to support new models of teaching and learning, enabling students and academics to co-create educational experiences that respond to rapid technological change and evolving industry needs.

 

I believe that this building will inspire many similar teaching spaces, enabling University learners to own and co-create the future with academics."