Main contractor Thomas Vale starts work this week on the conversion of a derelict brewery site into a centre of excellence for construction education.
College principal Tom Macdonald and university vice-chancellor Geoff Layer lead the ground-breaking ceremony
The University of Wolverhampton bought the 12-acre Springfield Brewery site in Wolverhampton city centre earlier this year to turn it into a £70m construction and skills campus and business park.
The Springfield Campus will become the home of the new West Midlands Construction University Technical College (WMCUTC), which the university is sponsoring along with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). The university’s own School of Architecture & the Built Environment is also set to move to the site.
Designed by Associated Architects, the development involves conversion of part of the site including a Grade II listed building, as well as building a three-storey extension. Consulting engineer for the scheme is Mott MacDonald.
The WMCUTC opens this month on a temporary site at the former Northicote School site and be known as the Northwood Park Campus before moving to the new purpose built facility at Springfield.
University of Wolverhampton vice-chancellor Geoff Layer said: “The university is incredibly proud to have invested in such a fantastic opportunity for the future generation of construction and built environment professionals.”