New £28m university building handed over
The University of Wolverhampton has taken delivery of the keys to another new building on its flagship Springfield Campus regeneration project – in a move which it says will open the door for the future of brownfield regeneration.
Main contractor, ISG, officially handed keys over for the new £28m School of Architecture and Built Environment (SoABE) following completion of the building work which started in October 2018.
Despite work being temporarily disrupted on the site due to pandemic lockdown restrictions in March, ISG carried out the remainder of the work with a reduced workforce, in line with revised protocols and protective measures enabling progress.
The new building, designed by Birmingham based Associated Architects, is the latest addition to the University’s £100m investment in a new construction excellence campus at the former brewery.
Professor Geoff Layer, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Wolverhampton, said: “This is a momentous occasion for the University and the culmination of a vision which has transformed a derelict piece of land into a magnificent place of learning and research which will change the way people view brownfield regeneration.
“Since the purchase of Springfield in 2014, the derelict site has been rejuvenated into a centre of excellence for construction and the built environment, delivering an unbeatable skills pathway for construction education and training from the age of 14 to senior professionals and acting as a catalyst for economic and social regeneration.
“The new School of Architecture and Built Environment is investing and growing to meet the demands of modern industry and our strong links with employers enable programmes to be developed to closely match their needs – this offers our graduates great employment opportunities upon completion of their degree course.”
Simon Kendall, Regional Director at Faithful+Gould and project lead on SoABE, said: “It has been a long journey with every effort made to treat the existing buildings with respect and bring the heritage of the site back to life for future generations so it’s really satisfying to see the building being handed over to the university.
“The project will provide a fantastic opportunity for future construction professionals to understand how buildings fit together and work and be an exemplar of how to regenerate an historic site with a careful blend of restoration and sympathetically designed new buildings.”
