campus

Tecom Builds Dubai Campus for University of Birmingham

Tecom Group has been chosen by the University of Birmingham to build the second phase of its campus in Dubai International Academic City (DIAC). As part of the agreement that the two signed, Tecom will build a new purpose-built 50,000m² campus. Designed by Hopkins Architects, the facilities will be located

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Kier Develops Cambridgeshire Education Campus

The first phase of the design and construction of the new £45 million Northstowe Education Campus in Cambridgeshire will be carried our by Kier. The teaching facilities will be a part of the new sustainable Cambridgeshire town Northstowe and address the lack of school places in the county. The 133,203

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Armstrong Provides Acoustic Solutions for Balloch Campus

A showcase campus has enabled three schools to co-locate, while also providing a showpiece for a trio of Armstrong Ceiling Solutions, including TechZone™, the industry’s first easy-to-specify-and-install ceiling acoustic solution with integrated technical services. The new state-of-the-art Balloch Campus in West Dunbartonshire features three highly acoustic Armstrong Ceiling Solutions throughout

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Latest Issue
Issue 325 : Feb 2025

campus

Tecom Builds Dubai Campus for University of Birmingham

Tecom Group has been chosen by the University of Birmingham to build the second phase of its campus in Dubai International Academic City (DIAC). As part of the agreement that the two signed, Tecom will build a new purpose-built 50,000m² campus. Designed by Hopkins Architects, the facilities will be located opposite the city’s first custom-designed student housing community and provide an academic home for up to 2,900 students. “This innovative and iconic facility has been designed to echo our beautiful and historic Edgbaston campus, whilst providing a flexible, modern setting for our students in Dubai to obtain maximum benefit from our teaching and research expertise,” said University of Birmingham principal and vice-chancellor Professor David Eastwood. Created to encourage collaboration across all academic disciplines, the campus to be built by Tecom will feature flexible learning spaces and formal teaching spaces. It will also feature a student ‘hub’, sheltered courtyards and social spaces, a 300-seat lecture theatre, a similarly sized auditorium, three laboratories to accommodate 200 students, and seminar and tutorial rooms. “The bespoke campus, which is set to be complete in 2021, is a testament to the innovative ecosystem that is needed to meet the demands of the rapidly changing international student landscape. As our vibrant community continues to expand, we are committed to supporting our academic partners and collaborating with top academic institutions in order to fulfil global demand for quality international higher education,” added DIAC and Dubai Knowledge Park managing director Mohammad Abdullah.

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Kier Develops Cambridgeshire Education Campus

The first phase of the design and construction of the new £45 million Northstowe Education Campus in Cambridgeshire will be carried our by Kier. The teaching facilities will be a part of the new sustainable Cambridgeshire town Northstowe and address the lack of school places in the county. The 133,203 sq ft Northstowe Education Campus will become Cambridgeshire’s largest education campus once completed. It will comprise a nursery, a 3FE primary school, a secondary school, Special Educational Needs (SEN) school and sixth form college. 3,000 students aged 0-19 years within the sustainable new development will benefit from teaching and learning facilities at Northstowe, which is expected to have a population of 24,000. A new secondary school, the seventh owned by Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust (CMAT), will be delivered by Kier, providing places for up to 600 pupils aged 11-16. The project will then be extended in two subsequent phases to allow for 1,800 pupils. It will feature a multi-purpose school hall/theatre space and drama studios, a large sports hall, a gym, two dance studios and all-weather floodlit football and hockey pitches. In addition, Kier will create a 110-place Special Education Needs (SEN) school. “Having previously constructed Pathfinder, Northstowe’s first primary school, we are delighted to now be delivering the next phase of education provision for the emerging Northstowe community. This addition to the school development further builds on our position as a leading UK provider of educational buildings and we are looking forward to starting the first phase of works on this project,” commented Mark Dady, managing director at Kier Eastern. Kier started enabling works on site in September with the first cohort of students starting in September 2019.

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Armstrong Provides Acoustic Solutions for Balloch Campus

A showcase campus has enabled three schools to co-locate, while also providing a showpiece for a trio of Armstrong Ceiling Solutions, including TechZone™, the industry’s first easy-to-specify-and-install ceiling acoustic solution with integrated technical services. The new state-of-the-art Balloch Campus in West Dunbartonshire features three highly acoustic Armstrong Ceiling Solutions throughout – Perla OP 0.95 Tegular mineral tiles on Prelude 24 TLX grid, Parafon Hygien Board mineral tiles on a 24mm corrosion-resistant grid, and Armstrong’s revolutionary TechZone™ integrated ceiling system incorporating Perla OP MicroLook planks. Delivered by main contractor Morgan Sindall, they were specified by architects Holmes Miller for the £16 million campus for “cost and quality” reasons and installed by Armstrong’s Green Omega specialist sub-contractor Brian Hendry Interiors. As part of their membership of Armstrong’s Green Omega network of recycling installers Brian Hendry Interiors also recycled 300m2 of the new ceiling tile off-cuts during the installation process, preventing almost a tonne of material going to landfill and the consumption of an equivalent weight of raw materials. For maximum acoustic comfort some 1,600m2 of Perla OP 0.95 600mm x 600mm tiles with a Tegular edge detail within a standard 24mm grid were used in offices, classrooms and stores. These tiles perform to Sound Absorption Class A and were also the first mineral ceiling tile in Europe to win Cradle to Cradle™ certification as part of the new generation of sustainable and acoustic ceilings offered by Armstrong. In the corridors and breakout areas Armstrong’s TechZone™ integrated ceiling system was specified with a 15mm XL2 grid, fabricated to special lengths of 900, 2100 and 2400mm. Incorporating 800m2 of Perla OP 0.95 1200mm x 300mm MicroLook, the TechZone™ system was specified to achieve the aesthetics of a linear plank system and seamlessly integrate and complement the 100mm wide linear lighting arrangement. In addition, it addressed the clutter of services above in a crowded corridor installation and provided an acoustic Class A product to reduce unwanted noise in the busy ceiling plane. To complete the trio of Armstrong ceiling systems installed at Balloch Campus, 160m2 of Parafon Hygien 600mm x 600mm tiles, which offer Class A sound absorption, 95% humidity resistance and clean room classification to ISO 4, were used within a 24mm corrosion-resistant grid in the high humidity zones, such as the kitchen areas and stores. The new 53,280ft2 campus has been built on the site of the former St Kessog’s Primary and provides a new home for it, along with Haldene Primary and Jamestown Primary, to create the newly-formed school, Balloch Primary Campus*. An Additional Support Needs (ASN) unit and a new Balloch Early Learning and Childcare Centre (ELCC**) are also operating at the site. In total there are 21 open-plan flexible learning spaces for the potential 747 students, as well as a centrally-located shared administrative areas, gym halls and assembly area, while the ASN has capacity to assist 36 pupils with a varying range of support needs. The £16 million campus represents a major investment in the education offering in the area by West Dunbartonshire Council through what is now the Scottish Procurement Alliance. This supports the efficient construction, refurbishment and maintenance of social housing and public buildings throughout Scotland. With multiple stakeholders across the three schools and the local authority, the framework procurement route afforded early-stage collaboration on design, budget and timescales. The 16-month steel frame build to BIM Level 2 was completed on schedule and to budget. Brian Hendry Interiors had a team of up to 16 operatives, including apprentices, on site for five months.

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CPMG ARCHITECTS COMPLETE KEY CAMPUS BUILDINGS ON £320 MILL WATERSIDE CAMPUS

FOUR years after starting on site, the design teams behind the purpose-built £320 million Waterside Campus for the University of Northampton have completed the project. The scheme which houses six new academic buildings on a 58-acre former brownfield site has been one of the biggest of its kind in the higher education sector. CPMG Architects, experts in higher education campus transformation, led on the delivery of three campus buildings – the Creative Hub, Senate Building and Logistics Hub – which form half of the university’s new academic buildings. Chris White, director at CPMG said: “This multi-million-pound scheme is a complex development delivered with true collaboration between consultant partners and contracting teams. We’re proud to be part of the team to deliver this ambitious project and these three important buildings.” The four-storey senate building acts as the corporate and research centre hosting guest lectures, exhibitions and events within its teaching spaces, large lecture hall and impressive atria. The dramatic roof creates a bold entrance to the campus and shapes its impact on the wider environment. The Creative Hub will be home to the university’s art and design faculties. With art studios, specialist teaching spaces, media spaces and laboratories; the building’s stripped back and open-plan structure allows visitors unrestricted views of the River Nene. A Logistics Hub has also been completed, housing the university’s infrastructure team which is vital in supporting the campus activity as facilities continue to develop onsite. Chris continued: “We have a wealth of experience in the higher education sector, so we understood the challenges and requirements of delivering a modern estate that is fit for the future. Now the project is complete I’m confident it will be a catalyst to support Northampton’s wider regeneration programme and will be one of the UK’s most vibrant student communities.” CPMG Architects worked with Bowmer & Kirkland on the new campus which will provide world-class teaching and learning facilities for 15,000 students. The new campus also features a Learning Hub, Research and Enterprise Hub, Sports Hub, students’ union, cafes, a restaurant, retail space and student residences. Chris added: “Since our involvement on the project, the whole approach to delivering the campus has been one of collaboration between the architectural practices involved and the wider consultant team, both on the contractor and client sides of the development.” The university previously occupied two campuses located outside of the city; Waterside aims to become a new destination for the university’s students – amalgamating the existing two sites to create one central location. CPMG has more than 30 years’ worth of experience in the education sector – evolving alongside the developing industry. The firm has recently completed projects at University of Derby, Teesside University and Cranfield University – with designs ranging from aerospace research facilities and labs to students’ unions and libraries.   Find out more about CPMG at www.cpmg-architects.com or join the conversation @CPMGArchitects

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