Boom time for BAM with £45m university win

THE Midlands operation of Hertfordshire-based BAM Construction has been awarded a £45m contract for a student accommodation project at Aston University.

Earlier this month, the Birmingham institute demolished two accommodation towers which had become a prominent feature of the city’s skyline since being built in the 1970s.

Now BAM Construction Midlands, which is headquartered in Coventry, is to build more than 1,000 flats as part of a wider £215m redevelopment scheme to accommodate more than 3,000 students.

This second phase of work, due for completion in 2013, will comprise two blocks of accommodation of between four and 18 storeys, providing 1,053 en-suite student bedrooms and shared facilities.

Two residential blocks, containing 1,300 en-suite rooms, were constructed by Wolverhampton-based Carillion as part of phase 1.

Alan Charters, director of capital development for Aston University, said: “The Aston Student Villages scheme is of major importance to the university.

“It is the largest regeneration project in its history and when completed will provide improved student facilities which we believe will match the finest of anywhere else in the world.”

Aston University was advised by Solihull-based construction consultants Emprima while the Nottingham office of architects Lewis and Hickey designed the scheme.

The Birmingham office of Couch Perry Wilkes is providing building engineering services and structural engineering advisers are BJB Consulting of Wakefield.

Financial management is being provided by the Birmingham office of Faithful and Gould.