Sir John Laing Building

This building is primarily used by the Faculty of Engineering, Environment and Computing, offering courses relating to the construction sector. It was built in 1970, and is named after Sir John Laing, a British entrepreneur in the construction industry.

John Laing – was born in in 1842 and took over the business that his father James Laing had set up. The business operated from the Carlisle area, and John negotiated building contracts later incorporating his own son, (John) into the family business. The business continued to expand and grow with an increase in employees and jobs became larger with the construction of factories. By 1985 the sixth generation of Laing’s had seen the company expand to Saudi Arabia, Spain and the USA. Noteable projects have included; M1 motorway, the Bull Ring-Birmingham, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, and Coventry Cathedral.