WORK has begun on installing new cladding to the Richmond and Horton buildings at the University of Bradford.

It follows a successful application for £3.5m in funding from the Government’s Salix Finance scheme, which provides funding to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and lower energy bills.

In addition to new cladding, some 480 new double-glazed windows will also be installed. The works are set to continue until October.

Some entrances and exits to the affected buildings may be closed temporarily during the works, with visitors re-routed. There may be some minor construction nuisance associated with the project.

Andrew Hague Building Manager from Property Services, who submitted the successful bid and is responsible for project delivery, said: “The total area of the new external cladding across both buildings is 4,000 square metres, including nearly 500 new windows, and will hugely improve the thermal comfort levels for building users through high levels of insulation. The project will also help drive down future energy costs and our reliance on gas and the grid.”

University of Bradford scraps plan to cover up iconic 1960s mural by Joseph Mayo

The new cladding above the main entrance to the Richmond Building will incorporate a mural designed by Joseph Leslie Mayo (1920-2014). The mural was erected in 1964 as part of the main building for the Bradford Institute of Technology, which was formally opened in June 1965 by Prime Minister Harold Wilson (1964-1970 and 1974-1976).

Originally the plan was to cover the mural with cladding, but the University amended its plans after a large amount of objections to the possible loss of the artwork.

The Main Building was later renamed the Richmond Building and Wilson became the University’s first Chancellor from its founding in 1966 until 1985. Bradford is one of a handful of universities founded as technology universities, representing a key component of Wilson’s vision for improving the British economy.