Birmingham City University ‘City Centre Campus’ given the go-ahead.

The Birmingham Post have written that Birmingham City Council have given the green light for the new City Centre Campus.

BIRMINGHAM’S City University has finally been given the go ahead for its new £150 million campus at the heart of the Eastside regeneration zone.

Only a rubber stamp from the government is needed before the former University of Central England can begin planning details of its move to the Masshouse site off New Canal Street.

The city council’s planning committee welcomed the move as a huge boost to the city centre and a sign of commitment to the new learning quarter at Eastside.

Committee chairman Coun Peter Douglas Osborn (Cons, Weoley) said: “This involves the bringing together of separate campuses in one area and is a positive move for the university.

“It is also good for the city and will show the learning city aspect of Birmingham to the whole country.” Coun Osborn added he hoped the new campus would tie in with neighbouring historic listed buildings, Curzon Street Station and the Woodman Pub. “I have no doubt one of the buildings will fit in with a student campus but would like to see both brought in,” he said. The campus is set to feature the latest energy efficiency measures including large solar panels.

It will serve students from the faculty of performance, media and English, the faculty of technology, innovation and development and Birmingham institute of art and design.

It will house a concert hall and space for working with business.

Green light for £150m Eastside City Centre Campus

From Birmingham City University web site,

Birmingham City University today came one step closer to the realisation of its new £150m Eastside City Centre campus. The University has now been given the green light by City Planners at Birmingham City Council to go ahead with its plans to build its ambitious new campus.

The University’s new development is fully supported by the City Council and Advantage West Midlands. It will be at the heart of the regeneration of Birmingham’s Eastside and will include fully operational television studios, a library, concert hall, performance theatre, music recital hall, lecture theatres and a learning resource centre. The new site will incorporate cutting edge technologies to enhance the student experience and support business engagement.

The announcement of the campus planning approval is in tandem with the official notice about the partners that will be working with the University to help with the design and construction process of this £150m project.

The consultancy practices involved in the City Centre campus project are:

* Architect and Lead Designer – Associated Architects
* Quantity Surveyor and Cost Consultant – Faithful + Gould
* Structural Engineer – Gifford
* Signage and Way finding – Inside Information
* Mechanical and Electrical Services Engineer – Ove Arup & Partners Ltd
* Support Engineering Services – Ove Arup & Partners Ltd
* Landscape Architect – Plincke Landscape Ltd
* Project Management – Mace Ltd

Graham Rhodes, Director of Estates at Birmingham City University, said: “To get the go ahead on this exciting new project is great news for the University, as we can now start to implement the next stage and progress with our plans.

“To add to this thrilling news, the University now has a group of dynamic professionals on board, who will be working closely with me and the estates project team. Their expertise and experience will help propel this project and put the University on the map.

“The new campus will be a centre for cultural and creative activities, bringing with it the international reputation of the expertise that will be housed there.”
The proposed campus will also include the University’s Skillset Media Academy and become the home of the Birmingham Institute of Art & Design.

Arup awarded contracts for Birmingham City University Eastside Campus

Contract Award Notice from OJEU

Birmingham: signage/wayfinding/informatics consultant. – Ove Arup
Birmingham: consultant acoustic/vibration engineer. – Ove Arup
Birmingham: consultant ground works/highway engineer. – Ove Arup
Birmingham: consultant public health services engineer. – Ove Arup

City Centre Campus set for green light in Eastside

From Birmingham Mail, very sloppy and inaccurate report, but hey-ho,

Oct 15 2008 by Neil Elkes, Birmingham Mail

CITY planners are set to give the green light to a £150 million university campus in the heart of the city centre.

Birmingham City University wants to build media, technology and arts schools on a derelict former industrial site at Masshouse.

The campus marks a major public investment in the Eastside regeneration zone.

Planning officer Richard Goldborn said: “This scheme will have significant benefits for employment, sustainability and the regeneration of Eastside.

“The area is identified as a focus for arts, media and design. It strengthens Birmingham’s regional centre of research and development and integrates with the new city park to create a high quality environment conductive to learning.”

Plans include lecture halls and meeting rooms, a concert hall, theatre, shops and cafes.

The outline scheme has won the backing of conservation watchdog English Heritage which claims the buildings will not overpower the historic Curzon Street Station and Woodman Pub next door.

But Birmingham’s Conservation Panel is also concerned that three existing historic university buildings, the Institute of Art and Design in Margaret Street, Bournville School and Ruskin Hall, Bournville could be at risk when the new campus opens.

The planning committee meets on Thursday and is recommended to approve the application.

City Centre Campus Outline Planning Submitted

“Application number
C/03525/08/OUT

Date application received
27/06/2008

Proposal
Outline application of 55,000 sqm comprising University Campus (Use Class D1), Concert Hall (Use Class D2), Theatre (Use Class Sui Generis), retail (Use Class A1), Use Classes A3-5, car parking, landscaping and associated works, and stopping up of Bartholomew and Banbury Street.“

Images can be seen in full post.

City Centre Campus – Your Questions Answered

Today I was invited to the press event for the unveiling of the outline plans for the new City Centre Campus.  I have to say, I was impressed.  I spent over one and a half hours with the architects from BDP and I managed to get many questions answered that readers of this blog have sent to me.

Questions,
“Is Curzon Street Station a part of the project?”
“Will there be an extension to the Woodman pub?”

Answer,
No, they are separate from the whole development.  Birmingham City University do not intend to do anything with these listed buildings.  On the diagrams they are marked in red to represent their importance.  The station will remain unused until someone else finds a use for it, the Student Union may be interested in The Wooodman however.

Question,
“Have they been working in conjunction with Patel Taylor?”

Answer,
Yes they have, but not much has been going on.  As some of you may know, Patel Taylor is the design team behind the Eastside City Park project.  BDP have had several meetings with Birmingham City Council and Patel Taylor, however they have not yet decided what is going to happen with the park, too early to tell.

Question,
“What’s going on with the central feature?”

Answer,
Something Birmingham City University call a “learning centre” which provides student support, library services etc.

Question,
“Eastside was going to be an exemplar of sustainable design.  CHP source? Green credentials.”

Answer,
The whole project is built around sustainability.  Grass roofs, solar panel louvres, natural light are all important.  As for transportation, they are looking at only including limited parking spaces (200-250) that will be located on the lower ground floors of two of the blocks.  Public transportation is a big importance, with three rail stations and one bus terminus nearby meaning the site is very accessible.  I asked if anything has been thought about the pedestrianising of Corporation Street and its effects to buses, and if any money will be put to one side for the extension of the tram network, both of these were found to be too early in the planning process to answer.  The project will include several hundred bicycle bays, which sounds good.  What is also important is a space between the viaduct and buildings where tress will be planted so wildlife can coexist on the site.

Question,
“Timescales?”

Answer,
The project will be built in phases.  Phase one should be BIAD and TID, Conservatoire a little later.  Strange when the Conservatoire have to vacate their site in a couple of years.  The first phase has to be submitted for planning soon and built by 2012 to satisfy an agreement between the university and the city council.

Of note, Curzon Park project will be built before this 2012 date.  As well as residential apartments, two hotel buildings will be built next to Curzon Street station.  Keep your eyes out on this project.

The height of these building is higher than I thought.  They will range from 14m (close to Curzon Station elevation) to around 60m. (towards Moor Street).

University Unveils City Centre Campus Plans

A new press release from Birmingham City University,

UNIVERSITY UNVEILS CITY CENTRE CAMPUS PLANS

•    £150m development proposals go on display to public
•    Vice-Chancellor hails ambitious plans
•    Dedicated website launched

Birmingham City University is displaying its plans for a City Centre Campus development in public for the first time.
The exhibition opened at Millennium Point this afternoon (Friday May 30) and continues on Saturday May 31 from 9.30am-12.30pm.
Vice-Chancellor David Tidmarsh said: “I believe that this development at the heart of the city’s Eastside represents possibly the most exciting this University has ever undertaken. From the outset, we have been determined to create a vision which will set the University at the very forefront of educational provision in the UK.

“It is with an enormous sense of pride and excitement that Birmingham City University is able to display these plans for our proposed new campus.

“Since agreeing terms to develop this important site at the heart of the city’s Eastside development, we have been determined to create a vision which will set the University at the very forefront of educational provision in the UK.

“It is our ambition to use this development to inspire teaching, learning, research and knowledge transfer, in a space which is connected both to the surrounding developments and the city of Birmingham.

“This will be a very special location, focused on arts and technology which garner international respect and building further on our well-established reputation for cutting-edge technology and design.

“Students and staff will be able to enjoy a state-of-the-art building with some of the UK’s best facilities. Through a process of full consultation and involvement, those who will use the buildings will be able to help shape them.

”We are extremely grateful to all those who choose to use this exhibition to examine our proposals and make their views known. I very much hope that many of those will reflect my own personal enthusiasm for this project.”

The University will be embarking on a full programme of communication and consultation with staff and students. A series of faculty champions has been appointed to communicate with colleagues and give feedback to the project team. A dedicated microsite has been launched on the University intranet and there will be regular e-newsletters as well as a touring display of the proposals, so that everyone will be given the chance to see the proposals and make their opinion known.
The development, in partnership with Birmingham City Council and Advantage West Midlands, will create at least 37,000 square metres of space, with new facilities to meet the requirements of the following faculties:

•    Faculty of Media and Performance Arts.
•    Faculty of Technology, Innovation & Development.
•    Birmingham Institute of Art and Design (BIAD).
Additionally, it is intended to create a concert hall, space for working with business, a Student Centre (to include library, learning resources and exhibition space), a food court and a retail centre. The first phase of the building is expected to open to students in September 2012.

Once completed, the University’s City Centre Campus will also encompass existing buildings including Millennium Point, an existing building providing approximately 14,500 square metres of accommodation currently occupied by the Technology Innovation Centre (tic) and the Birmingham School of Acting.

Some more City Centre Campus images.

I will fill you in tomorrow with all the ins and outs of the designs for the full outline planning application, however for now:

Sneak Peek of new City Centre Campus?

Here is a sneak peek of renders of the new £150m Birmingham City University city centre campus.  I must stress these may not be the final designs.

University to Showcase £150m Eastside Plans

University to Showcase £150m Eastside Plans

•    Proposals for City Centre Campus to go on display
•    Major development of Birmingham’s Eastside
•    Chance for public to have their say

Birmingham City University’s ambitious plans for a flagship £150m campus are to go on display to the public.

The University is offering people the chance to look at the outline planning proposals for the Canal Street site, Eastside, which will be submitted to Birmingham City Council in June.

The location is a 4.17 acre brown field site on which it is proposed to build between 35,000 and 45,000 square metres of accommodation.

An exhibition of the proposals will be open at Millennium Point on Friday, May 30 from 12.30pm-5.30pm, and on Saturday, May 31 from 9.30am-12.30pm.

Mary Martin, Pro-Vice-Chancellor – Corporate Development, who is overseeing the development, said:

“The University’s ambition in 10 years’ time is to have achieved a national and international reputation for the excellence of our teaching, the exemplary nature of our engagement with business, the professions and the community and for the quality of our research.

“To achieve this ambition it is necessary to build upon existing achievements. We need to create new areas of excellence and invest in our infrastructure, facilities and business processes to meet the expectations of our students, customers and partners.

”We very much hope that anyone with an interest in the Eastside development will take the opportunity to examine what we’re proposing. Although it’s far too early to say exactly what the development will look like, the exhibition gives an insight into the sort of ideas that might form part of this exciting development.”

The objective of the development is to create new facilities to meet the requirements of the following faculties:

•    Faculty of Media and Performance Arts.
•    Faculty of Technology, Innovation & Development.
•    Birmingham Institute of Art and Design (BIAD).

Additionally, it is intended to create a concert hall, space for working with business, a Student Centre (to include library, learning resources and exhibition space), a food court and a retail centre. The first phase of the building is expected to open to students in September 2012.

Once completed, the University’s City Centre Campus will also encompass existing buildings including Millennium Point, an existing building providing approximately 14,500 square metres of accommodation currently occupied by the Technology Innovation Centre (tic) and the Birmingham School of Acting.

The development is complementary to the regeneration of this side of the city.

The new campus, together with the existing Millennium Point and developments including City Park Gate, Masshouse, Curzon Park and Ventureeast will progress to establish a new mixed use environment focused on learning and leisure.