£46.5 million university development completed
Building work has completed on the £46.5 million School of Engineering at the University of Birmingham.
Contractor Willmott Dixon, which is also currently delivering a number of significant schemes within Wolverhampton, including the WV Living development of 266 homes and the refurbishment of Wolverhampton’s Civic Halls, has finished the state-of-the-art 12,000 sq metre facility of five floors.
The school puts industry at the heart of the university’s campus, alongside the £16.4m UK Rail Research and Innovation Network Centre of Excellence in Digital Systems.
It features a Student Support Hub, design centre, 20 flexi-bays for staff and student interactions and three 50-seat seminar rooms.
The basement also houses a full-size set of railway points, the university’s pantograph test rig and a test track for the scaled hydrogen-powered train.
Nick Gibb, deputy managing director for the Midlands at Willmott Dixon, said: “We are delighted to have completed such a significant development, both regionally and within the sector – the facility is set to pioneer advancements within engineering and digital systems research.”
Head of the university’s school of engineering, Professor Clive Roberts, said: “We are delighted to receive the keys to the newly built School of Engineering.
"We are committed to providing the best facilities for our staff, students and researchers, as well as enabling collaboration with our industry partners and encouraging different and more flexible ways of working. “
