Midas Construction has hosted a topping out ceremony on the development of the University of Southampton Science Park Engineering Centre.

The firm marked the high point of its new steel frame in time-honoured fashion.

Professor Mark E. Smith, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton, joined the Midas team on site for a topping out ceremony for the building with Michael Queen, Chair of Enterprise M3 LEP, and representatives from the Southampton Science Park and the University of Southampton.

Midas started building works on the Engineering Centre in November 2020 and the project is due to be completed in early 2022.

The Engineering Centre will enhance collaboration opportunities for the University of Southampton Science Park and local business within the Enterprise M3 LEP area of influence. It will house the Future Towns Innovation Hub (FTIH), which will deliver a joint industry-academic centre of excellence by bringing together cutting edge ideas, commercial expertise and state-of-the-art research laboratories to facilitate happy, healthy and prosperous towns in the Enterprise M3 area and beyond.


The state-of-the-art building will provide specialist laboratory facilities and a 'collaboration zone' that will support a range of sectors such as eco-hydraulics, electronics, transport research, aerospace, energy, unmanned systems and a number of hydraulic flumes.

Steve Lee, Divisional Director for the Southern Division of Midas Construction, said: "We are immensely pleased to have been able to gather with project partners to celebrate this milestone moment for what is a truly exciting development. Marking the topping-out of a new building is a fine tradition and we look forward to completing the construction phase of the Engineering Centre and playing a modest part in the important role it is going to play driving technological innovation across a number of really exciting sectors, supporting skills development and creating opportunities for the local economy."