Construction work under way on Universities Centre

CONSTRUCTION work has started on the AHR-designed Universities Centre at the Innovation Birmingham campus.

The centre, which is being built by Midlands-based Thomas Vale Construction, could be ready for occupation later this year.

The centre will deliver digital services and training spaces and is intended to make it easier for SMEs to engage with Birmingham’s five universities.
 
The Universities Centre has been fast-tracked after securing a £2.49m grant from the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership as part of its Local Growth Fund.

The building, set to open in September, is the second of five new developments totalling a £30m investment into the Innovation Birmingham campus. It follows the recent opening of the iCentrum building, a 42,149 sq ft digital and tech incubation centre.

Dr David Hardman, chief executive of Innovation Birmingham, said: “The Universities Centre will be a significant addition to our expanding campus and will help support existing and new initiatives that Birmingham’s five universities already have in place to promote active engagement between innovators and educators in the city.
 
“The start of work on-site so soon after the completion of iCentrum marks another exciting milestone for Innovation Birmingham and we look forward to working with Thomas Vale Construction to successfully deliver the next stage of our ongoing development plans.”

It will create an additional 5,812 sq ft of enterprise space, which will act as a detached extension of the site’s Faraday Wharf building. Over half of the space in the facility will be dedicated to flexible co-working, with the remainder purpose-designed for training sessions and events.

It will also feature communications equipment, with all five universities in Birmingham benefitting from video conferencing suites as part of the project.