The £11.7 million contract to create a new learning hub for Coventry University has been won by Willmott Dixon, who will renovate the former 72,000 m2 BT building on Mile Lane into the standards required for education in the 21st century. The finished facility will feature teaching rooms, IT suites, engineering and science labs, a moot court and a cafe, as well as extensive breakout areas for social learning to make teaching more flexible. Overall, the campus will be offering a range of academic qualifications, including honours degree courses, foundation years, access to higher education diplomas, higher national certificates and higher national diplomas. “We are very excited to announce the plans for our new state-of-the-art campus, which reflects the considerable investment, modern technology and innovation, and will enhance our student experience, propelling us forward for years to come,” said a spokesperson from Coventry University. “The new campus is ideally situated adjacent to Coventry University’s Technology Park, which is already host to a variety of Coventry University activity as well as a number of exciting start-up businesses. It is also close to the railway station and includes good parking facilities.” This project is part of a wider £33 million campus transformation by CU Coventry to accommodate up to 3,000 students. The work on site is expected to be completed in early 2019. “We are delighted to be working with Coventry University again to help create another state-of-the-art campus for generations of students to enjoy,” said Peter Owen, Managing Director for Willmott Dixon in Midlands. Willmott Dixon is a privately-owned contracting and interior fit-out group, dedicated to leaving a positive legacy in its communities and environment. In 2018 the company was one of only six other companies to receive a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the promoting opportunity through social mobility category. The team at Willmott Dixon creates value for customers, stakeholders and communities by working in a sustainable and responsible way to shape the built environment and make a positive impact to society’s well-being.

The £14.2 million expansion project of a primary school in London has been offered to Morgan Sindall. The project will allow Tufnell Park Primary School to double its capacity from 315 pupils to 630 pupils by 2025. “Tufnell Park is a well-established and much-loved part of a growing community in Islington and we’re delighted to be working together with Islington Council on our third school in the last two years. The new building will enable teachers and staff to continue to deliver an outstanding teaching experience for pupils, ensuring that every child is given the best start to their educational journey,” said Richard Dobson, Area Director at Morgan Sindall’s London office. “Our project team is extremely experienced and adept at delivering high-quality education projects, often working in logistically challenging urban environments across London, and on live sites. We will bring this knowledge to bear on this development, doing our utmost to minimise disruption, engage both school users and the local community and manage the project to a high standard to ensure the journey to completion is a positive one for all stakeholders,” he added. The new building will feature bright and spacious interior with light wells reaching up three floors in the main corridor, as well as double-height foyer with a glass-fronted library designed to give an impressive, inspirational feel to the entrance space. Designed to create a new ‘heart’ at the centre of the school building, the library is located near the main entrance to encourage visitors and the wider community to celebrate learning.The new multi-use games area (MUGA) and halls will be available to both the school and local residents for community use outside of the school day. “Tufnell Park primary school is hugely popular with local families and rightfully so,” said Cllr Joe Caluori. “With strong demand for school places here, we wanted to make sure the expanded school would create a high-quality, pleasant and airy learning environment that helps to get the best out of pupils and teachers – and with facilities and spaces that are fit for the future, too. I am already looking forward to taking a tour of the finished building.” The new building is expected to be completed by the spring of 2020.

Site tours at the Akaal Primary School in Derby, led by local contractor G F Tomlinson, allowed its pupils to have an exclusive look at their brand new school building. In total, 98 children were welcomed on the site over two days as construction work progresses and were given a ‘behind the scenes’ tour to see the classrooms, library and main hall as they take shape. The new school will have enough space for 420 pupils aged four to 11 to meet the educational needs for children in Normanton and surrounding areas. They will have access to 14 classrooms, SEN provision and a new library area, as well as to more than 7,000 m2 of outdoor playing and learning space and 2,200 m2 of habitat areas. “Moving into our new school is an important milestone in our journey. Children make the best progress when they are inspired to learn and the school that G F Tomlinson has built for us provides that,” said Julie Fellowes, head teacher at Akaal Primary School. “After our first visit in March, the children were able to see the shape of their new school for the first time and I was inundated with ideas from them about the amazing learning opportunities we could provide. Our whole community feels truly blessed to have been given this opportunity and we give thanks to all those who have supported us this far,” she added. Akaal Primary School is Derby’s first Sikh school that opened in September 2015. Currently enrolling pupils from Reception to Year 3, the new facilities will allow the school to almost quadruple its student intake. “Work on site at Akaal Primary is progressing well with both the external and internal works now at an advanced stage,” said Andy Sewards, Managing Director at G F Tomlinson. “Delivering projects that have a lasting and positive impact on the local community is at the heart of our ethos at G F Tomlinson. This new building will allow the school to flourish and provide more school places in the coming years.” The building is located on Grange Avenue and it will be ready later this summer, in order to open its doors to pupils in September 2018.

The former hall of residence, Thwaite Hall, situated on the corner of Thwaite Street and New Village Road in Cottingham, will be put on the market by the University of Hull. The over 200-years-old property was closed as a hall of residence in August 2017 because of changes in students’ accommodation preferences. “Accommodation is a deciding factor for many when choosing where to study and the University has experienced a shift in demand towards high-quality, on-campus accommodation,” said Stephen Dale, director of estates at the University of Hull. “We have been investing in out accommodation portfolio as part of our ongoing commitment to provide an outstanding experience for students, which includes The Courtyard and Westfield Court on our Cottingham Road campus.” Handling the sale would be commercial estate agent Cushman & Wakefield. “Although the University no longer has a use for the building, we are keen to see a long term plan for its future be put in place and have been working closely with the local authority planning department to discuss the potential future use of the site,” added Stephen. The eventual purchaser and their intended use for the building will determine the nature and extent of work carried out on the site. Any proposal would be subject to relevant planning processes and legislation. “Thwaite Hall presents a rare and exciting opportunity to revitalise a high-profile building within a popular village location,” said Oliver Salisbury, senior surveyor in Cushman & Wakefield’s residential development team. “Discussions with the local authority have been positive and indicate that a number of uses are considered appropriate, subject to a high quality design which takes into account the conservation area setting and adjoining Grade II listed botanical gardens. We look forward to engaging with parties and maximising the site’s future potential,” he continued. Until a purchaser is found, the University will continue to ensure the site is secure.

Contractor Henry Brothers has been appointed to build a new £23m engineering facility for Nottingham Trent University. The two-storey development, in the heart of the Clifton Campus, will feature a range of engineering, teaching and research spaces, together with a large design suite, IT suite, offices and amenity facilities – and has been designed to be in the top 10% of sustainable buildings in the UK, when it comes to energy efficiency. The contract is the latest appointment for Henry Brothers at an East Midlands university and follows the completion last year of the £12.5m STEMLab project at Loughborough University, which recently won the Design Through Innovation Award at the regional RICS Awards. It is the company’s first major Nottingham contract and cements Henry Brothers’ position as a key player in the city’s construction sector. Ian Taylor, Managing Director of Henry Brothers Midlands, said: “As a company, Henry Brothers has significant experience of partnering with universities to create inspiring buildings. Following the award-winning STEMLab project at Loughborough University, our team is currently on site with the same client delivering the £30m refurbishment of a 1960s building which houses science labs and teaching spaces. “We are delighted to now be working with another major university in the East Midlands, Nottingham Trent University. The prestigious new engineering building at NTU will enhance the already excellent facilities at the Clifton Campus, and we are very pleased to be part of the team delivering it.” Work on the engineering facility, which will also include the creation of a new ‘Institute of Industrial Digitalisation, Robotics and Automation’ is due to get under way in early June, with completion expected in time for the start of the 2019/2020 academic year. A strong Nottingham-based team has been appointed for the design and build contract and, along with Henry Brothers, includes project manager Edge, quantity surveyor Gleeds, architect Maber and civil and structural engineer Curtins. Henry Brothers is recognised as a leading construction company with a turnover in excess of £80m per annum and more than 200 direct employees. The business works across the UK, with offices in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Midlands office was set up in January 2015 and from its Nottingham base, the team delivers projects from £2m to £30m in value and has a turnover approaching £40m. The firm’s contract at NTU is the latest investment by the university at the Clifton Campus, and will provide an energy efficient facility with an EPC A rating and a BREEAM excellent accreditation. Only the top 10% of new non-domestic buildings are built to a BREEAM excellent rating, with the accreditation being regarded as ‘best practice’. Nottingham Trent University is one of the most environmentally-friendly universities. “We want to create inspirational, state-of-the-art facilities that inspire staff and students and demonstrate our commitment to being a major player in the STEM education of engineers,” said Professor Mary O’Neill, the Dean of Nottingham Trent University’s School of Science and Technology. She said: “This development will facilitate a culture of innovation and excellence to support project-based, industry-focused learning and highly-rated research. “It will enable us to be at the heart of developments in the emerging ‘Industry 4.0’ agenda in terms of education and skills training, as well as knowledge transfer and knowledge development and research. “The anticipated skills shortages represent a serious concern for major industries, and we want to play a lead role in training current and future workers with the digitalisation skills required for this arena, which is being called the next industrial revolution.” The development at the Clifton Campus comes after the university launched a new Department of Engineering and a range of innovative engineering courses designed in conjunction with major industry employers and experts. Henry Brothers Midlands, based at Priory Court, Derby Road, Beeston, is part of The Henry Group, which comprises a number of manufacturing and construction sector companies, ranging from external construction through to interiors fit-out. In partnership with clients, it has a proven track record in education, defence, accommodation, commercial, industrial, transport and healthcare sectors. For more information, visit https://henrybrothers.co.uk/