18 September 2025

Seventeen years of engineering support at Manchester’s Loreto College

Established in 1851, Hulme’s Loreto College has become a cornerstone of secondary education for Manchester’s young people as they look to build towards a future in education or the world of work. To keep pace with their growing popularity and breadth of course offerings, the College has continually evolved its estate to incorporate leading-edge buildings and facilities.

And that’s where our engineering expertise comes into play. Involved with development work at Loreto College since 2008, Waterman’s Director for Building Services, Tim Davies, said: “We’ve been the College’s trusted engineering partner for nearly two decades, and in that time, we’ve helped them develop a built environment which pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with education buildings. This has seen the delivery of facilities which are highly sustainable in their design, construction, and operation, whilst also ensuring their students thrive.”

Working in collaboration with the College, our Building Services specialists first supported the design and delivery of the Ellis & Kennedy building, which was named as the 2010 BREEAM ‘Education Building of the Year’. Next, we helped tackle extensive renovations of both the Ball and Ward buildings, before providing design and consultancy input for the construction of the St Joseph’s building.

Fast forward to the current day, and our partnership with Loreto College has continued in the southern area of their campus with the newly completed St Vincent’s building. Designed by 10architects, the major scheme has delivered state-of-the-art facilities across three floors, with the brand-new, 24,000 sq ft teaching block accommodating an additional 264 students. Spread across three storeys, the building features 20 fully equipped classrooms, several staff rooms, a spacious assembly area, and a study centre which will significantly enhance the learning environment.

Continuing our successful relationship with the College and 10architects, our team provided building services designs for the latest building. With sustainability a key project theme, our specialists focused on reducing operational carbon emissions and minimising energy consumption in use. This saw the installation of air source heat pumps, 100 sqm of photovoltaic panels, and a passive natural ventilation system with night cooling. Together with a highly efficient building envelope, these measures deliver a 45% improvement over current Part L CO₂ targets.

Watch our video:

Engineering Insight: Delivering exceptional learning spaces at Loreto College

With Loreto College’s new St Vincent’s Building complete, Waterman’s Director for Building Services, Tim Davies, reflects on our delivery of nearly two decades of engineering support at this vital centre for education in Manchester. He outlines how the design of learning spaces has evolved during that time and gives the low-down on why our design solutions will be central to ensuring the St Vincent’s Building remains highly sustainable in operation, whilst also being readily adaptable to suit student requirements in the years to come.

Commenting on the completion of the latest scheme, Loreto College’s Estates Manager, Chris Gibbins, said: “We are extremely pleased with our new building and proud to have worked alongside Waterman and 10architects again to achieve such an excellent result. The finished building is fantastic and is a testament to the collaborative effort involved.”

With work now complete on the St Vincent’s building, focus turns to the construction of a compact new stand-alone catering facility adjacent to St Vincent’s which will provide a kitchen space and break-out area for students. Our team is once again providing the building services design for this scheme, working with 10architects to deliver a highly functional catering facility.

Reflecting on our legacy with Loreto College and considering the completion of the St Vincent’s building, Tim Davies said: “I’ve spent many years working with the College as they continually update and expand the buildings on their campus, and it has been a real pleasure to see these facilities make a lasting impact on the students and staff who learn and work there. In many ways, the successful outcome of the St Vincent’s scheme is the result of the lasting relationship we have built with both the College and 10architects, since deep collaboration is now fundamental to every scheme we deliver here. Our focus was to integrate building services systems that not only exceed today’s performance standards but are also future proofed for long-term efficiency, and I’m certain that the students and staff will enjoy the new facilities for many years to come.”

Want to find out more how we’re unlocking the potential of education schemes across the UK? Click here to head to our Education sector webpage.