UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 26 NOVEMBER 2015
City Planners have approved a major development to Birmingham City University’s campus in Edgbaston, which will enable the education of a whole generation of health, nutrition and biomedical science professionals.
The 10,500m² building at its City South Campus on Westbourne Road forms part of the University’s investment in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.
The £41 million development, set to open in 2017, will also enable the relocation of the University’s School of Education, consolidating the Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences on to one site.
Designed by architects Sheppard Robson, the build plans reinforce Birmingham City University's status as the region’s largest provider of qualified health and social care professionals to the NHS and producer of more teachers than any other institution in the West Midlands.
The space will provide teacher training and specialist facilities for health sciences including provision for research, a new lecture theatre, a multi-purpose hall, speech therapy, physiotherapy and ultrasound suites, art and technology classrooms and IT hubs.
This is the third phase of the University's project to move all teaching and learning to two campuses, City Centre and City South.
“The building will also offer the highest quality facilities for both students and staff, ensuring we continue to be best equipped to provide for the next generation of public health and education professionals in the West Midlands.
“By moving the School of Education from its current location, we are creating a hub for the provision of public service contracts and professional development in Edgbaston. Not only will this improve the student experience with a stronger sense of community, but we will be able to offer more consistent support services and facilities.”
The project forms part of the £260 million transformation of the University’s City Centre Campus. This includes work on a £46 million new home for its Birmingham Conservatoire, which is also set to open its doors to students in 2017.
The School of Education will move to the new site in Edgbaston in 2017. Earlier this year the University agreed a deal with Perry Beeches Academy Trust that will see a new school built on part of its City North Campus in Perry Barr. The sale confirmed the University’s determination to leave a powerful educational legacy for the Perry Barr community as it migrates towards its City South and City Centre campuses.