Ceremony marks handover of University of Exeter’s new Vsimulators facility

Morgan Sindall Construction has celebrated handing over the brand new engineering building that will house the University of Exeter’s pioneering VSimulators experimental facility.

The bespoke building will host an array of cutting-edge facilities for the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, including VSimulators - a multi-disciplinary research platform funded by a £4.8 million grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

VSimulators offers a state-of-the-art, world class facility, combining virtual reality (VR) technology capable of immersing up to nine occupants simultaneously in headset-projected VR scenarios.
A 4x4 metre, custom designed motion platform, linked to the VR scenarios, enables users to perceive realistic motion as they move around in a virtual world, while optical and inertial motion capture systems and an array of force plates will record their experiences.

Due to open in May, VSimulators will be used by academics and industry to support multi-disciplinary human factors research and innovation.

Guests at the special event included representatives from Exeter Science Park, the University of Exeter, University of Bath and University of Leicester.

Paul Cockram, area lead and operations manager at Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “The University of Exeter’s ambition for new facilities has been at the heart of the delivery of this project and we’ve enjoyed the opportunity to work collaboratively with the university to bring this unique vision to life.
“We’re pleased to be handing over the new building on schedule, which will provide a stunning new home for the university’s engineering, mathematics and scientific researchers.
“As a centre of excellence, the new facility will open up new opportunities for research and innovation, helping to further bolster the University of Exeter’s world-leading reputation as a critical thinker in this field.”
Professor Ken Evans, pro-vice-chancellor and executive dean of the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences said: “This outstanding new facility will act as a pivotal centre of excellence for the College’s world-leading structural engineering research and VSimulators will bolster Exeter’s already burgeoning reputation for research and innovation in the field.”

Dr Sally Basker, CEO of Exeter Science Park, said: “Exeter Science Park helps innovative science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medical, or STEMM, companies to deliver extraordinary growth.
“The University of Exeter’s exciting and distinctive new VSimulators facility at Exeter Science Park further strengthens our STEMM offering. This world-class facility will encourage collaboration and foster innovative products and services. We are pleased to see the building reaching this important milestone.”

Hugh McCann, estates business partner at the University of Exeter added: “This is an exciting new facility for the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, and the University as a whole.
“I am delighted that we have taken delivery of the new facility, and look forward to marking the launch of the VSimulators facility later this year.”

• For more information about this news release please contact Steph Bocking at Influential on 0151 239 5000 or email [email protected]