Project of the week

WHAT: The conversion of a hospital into the highest campus building in the UK, at Derby University, Buxton. The building features an impressive dome and a glazed roof.

HOW MUCH: The cost went up almost 200% over the project's five-year lifespan. The bill was originally put at £8m in 1999 but the final cost was £23.2m. Funding came partly from a £6.1m Heritage Lottery Fund grant and £2.6m from the Learning Skills Council.

HOW BIG: The campus boasts a huge scooping dome 154ft in diameter with a 94ft drop to the floor. It's larger than St Peter's in Rome, the Duomo in Florence, the Capitol in Washington and the domes of the British Museum in London.

HISTORY: The grade II listed building began life as stables designed in 1799 by John Carr of York for the fifth Duke of Devonshire. The Duke donated the building in 1878 to a charity that converted it into a 300-bed hospital.

The property was sold by the NHS in 1999, by which time it was classed as an at risk building. Derby University then acquired and transformed the building . His successor John Coyne saw the project through and the building opened to its 1,500 students in September 2005.

WHO: QS and planning supervisor: Gleeds, PM: SWPM, client: Derby University, architect: Hall Grey Associates, services engineer: John Packer Associates, structural engineer: Arup, contractor: GF Tomlinson.

PROJECT TEAM'S VIEW: "The main thrust was to clear up what was a very messy building. Over a long period the hospital had added external escape routes, external flues and chimneys. We stripped all that back so now everything is hidden" - John Packer, managing director, John Packer Associates

CHALLENGES: English Heritage stipulated that none of the original structure should be removed or changed. So the project team had to come up with non-destructive ways of routing cables and ductwork.

No plant was allowed to penetrate the existing roof fabric. This meant long and tortuous extract ductwork from the kitchen hoods had to be threaded through a 3ft deep ceiling void around the circumference of the dome. The ductwork was fed into three of the building's four turrets, which were commandeered for ventilation plant.