Work completed on Birmingham University’s £46.5 million School of Engineering
3 Feb 2021
Birmingham university has taken possession of its newly built School of Engineering premises, which architects claim will establish the institution’s reputation as “a beacon of engineering excellence”.
The 12,000 sq m site has five floors and a double-height atrium, a 179-capacity Design Centre, a 50-seat electronics and electrical focused projects space, three 50-seat seminar rooms and 160 drop-in study spaces.
The basement houses a full-size set of railway points, the University’s pantograph test rig and a test track for a scaled hydrogen-powered train.
Constructed by longtime collaborator Willmott Dixon and designed by Associated Architects, the project was procured through the Constructing West Midlands framework. The School of Engineering operates alongside the £16.4M UK Rail Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN) Centre of Excellence in Digital Systems.
Head of the School of Engineering, Professor Clive Roberts, said:
“We are passionate about educating the next generation of engineers. Alongside accessing features such as the Design Centre and our expanded computer labs, our new building provides students with the opportunity to work with engineers across the disciplines.
He added that learning would mirror the workplace, encouraging and developing students’ understanding of industry and their role within it.
Associated Architects director Warren Jukes commented: “This scheme has afforded us the opportunity to design a beacon of engineering excellence, to attract the world’s best academics and students to the University of Birmingham.
“The project was a major engineering feat in its own right, and we take immense pride in overcoming the challenges it brought.”
