University College Birmingham has awarded a £17 million ($26.4 million) contract to Shepherd Construction to deliver phase I of a new campus development.
Under the project, Shepherd Construction is responsible to deliver a new 7592 square metre teaching facility that will enable UCB to continue with its vision for modern learning environments for the further education and higher education courses it offers. Phase I of the development covers both Postgraduate and Undergraduate teaching.
The four-storey development will replace a number of unoccupied buildings and a car park on Charlotte Street and Holland Street in Birmingham’s city centre, in a conservation area on the edge of the historic Jewellery Quarter.
The new facility is set to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating and will include a dedicated Postgraduate Centre, teaching spaces including three lecture theatres, a 24-hour study hub and a 200-seater café.
Associated Architects has designed the project, Couch Consulting Engineers is providing structural services and Couch, Perry & Wilkes is providing mechanical and electrical consultancy for the client, UCB. Work on the project is set to begin in December 2011 and is scheduled to be completed in June 2013.