AtkinsRéalis celebrates as work starts on state-of-the-art weather centre headquarters

AtkinsRéalis, a global engineering and project management services company, joined its client and stakeholders to mark the start of construction on a new cutting-edge facility for meteorological research and forecasting.

The groundbreaking event took place on Wednesday at the site of the new headquarters for the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) at the University of Reading’s Whiteknights Campus, led by Lord Vallance, Minister of State for Science, Innovation and Technology.

AtkinsRéalis joins the project team to mark the ground breaking ceremony for the ECMWF in Reading

Also in attendance were key stakeholders in the project including ECMWF Directors, Penny Endersby, CEO of the Met Office and President of ECMWF Council, Mark Bourgeois, CEO at the Government Property Agency (GPA) which is delivering the scheme, and representatives of the University of Reading, Mace - design and build construction partners, and BDP - the architects.

Construction of the modern, accessible and highly sustainable headquarters, which is being funded through the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), is expected to be ready for occupation in early 2027.

AtkinsRéalis was appointed by GPA to deliver multi-disciplinary consultancy services, including project management, cost control, sustainability incl. NZC Advisory, BIM and technical advisory.

Helen Brydson, regional director for project and programme services at AtkinsRéalis, said: “The European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts will play a key role in helping our understanding of the future of climate science.

“We have been working closely with the GPA, and the wider project team, to drive forwards a visionary plan with ambitious net zero credentials, and look forward to delivering the plan throughout the construction phase.”  

For full details see the Government Property Agency's press release. 

About AtkinsRéalis

Created by the integration of long-standing organizations dating back to 1911, AtkinsRéalis is a world-class engineering services and nuclear company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. We create sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. We deploy global capabilities locally to our clients and deliver unique end-to-end services across the whole life cycle of an asset including consulting, advisory & environmental services, intelligent networks & cybersecurity, design & engineering, procurement, project & construction management, operations & maintenance, decommissioning and capital. The breadth and depth of our capabilities are delivered to clients in strategic sectors such as Engineering Services, Nuclear and Capital.  News and information are available at www.atkinsrealis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.