Acoustics research centre at Crescent Salford gets the nod

Planning permission has been granted for an Acoustics building at the £2.5bn Crescent Salford project in Greater Manchester. The 14,000 sq ft building will house the research, commercial and teaching activities of The University of Salford’s acoustics group. The all-electric facility would target a BREEAM rating of Excellent. The plans for the scheme were lodged early this year. It sits within the wider 240-acre Crescent Salford masterplan, which is being delivered by the Crescent Partnership comprising ECF, The University of Salford, and Salford City Council. Crescent Innovation will comprise 933 homes, 1.7m sq ft of new commercial innovation, academic and research floorspace, active ground-floor space, and a new movement hub. Morgan Sindall Construction is due to begin work on the Acoustics building this summer. Max Bentham, development director at ECF, said: “The building will function as a training hub for the next generation of acoustics experts, offering research facilities aimed at enhancing quality of life by reducing the harm caused by noise. Bringing industry and education together, it will further cement Salford as a leader in this field.”