Animal Care Facilities Refurbishment

YMD Boon was appointed as Lead Consultant to deliver a major refurbishment and repurposing project for two existing college buildings, transforming them into high-quality Animal Care facilities to support the delivery of new T-Level qualifications. 

The project enhances both theory and practical teaching spaces, creating specialist areas for reptiles, tortoises, rodents, amphibians, and exotic species, alongside a cattery, external enclosures, and welfare facilities. Flexible classrooms, seminar rooms, and collaboration spaces support independent learning.

YMD Boon played a key role in helping the college secure Department for Education (DfE) funding before leading the design and delivery stages. Working closely with stakeholders, we developed conceptual and detailed designs aligned with curriculum needs and budget priorities. A major focus of the design was on environmental performance, with our M&E engineers assessing existing energy demand and designing appropriate heating and ventilation systems tailored to animal welfare requirements.

Delivering the scheme on a live campus posed significant challenges, requiring careful phasing and collaboration with the college to maintain operations. Our in-house Health & Safety Advisors developed a phased construction strategy to minimise disruption, ensuring safety and continuity throughout delivery.