32 | NEWS | BUILDING 4 EDUCATION
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www.b4ed.com | T: @B_4_E B4E University building is a real diamond
The University of Sheffield is to make its largest ever investment in teaching and learning with a new £81m building at the heart of its campus. The state-of-the- art facility will be called The Diamond and its construction will create more than 500 jobs and contribute £44.5m to the local economy. Scheduled to open by September 2015, work is already well underway on the six-storey, 19,500 sqft building which, as well as providing specialist engineering teaching facilities, will also house a range of lecture theatres, seminar rooms, open- plan learning spaces, library services and social spaces. “The quality of the environment for teaching and learning is becoming increasingly important,”
says vice-chancellor Professor Sir Keith Burnet. “We’re confident that The Diamond will be a very strong element in our already excellent offer to prospective students making their choices for a September 2015 start.” Sheffield Central MP Paul Blomfield
adds: “The Diamond will play a huge part in positioning Sheffield as the destination of choice for our future engineers, with the university working closely alongside industry to support the development of the skills and innovation essential to our economic success. I know how important The Diamond is to the future growth and development of the university and it’s great to see this fantastic new building taking shape.”
“ T HE DI AMOND WI L L P L A Y A HUGE PA R T IN P O SI T IONING SHEF F I ELD AS T HE DES T IN A TION OF CHOICE FOR OUR FU T U R E E N GINE ER S”
BLACKPOOL ACADEMY REFURB COMPLETE
Eric Wright Construction (EWC) has completed an £8.2m refurbishment project to transform Unity Academy in Blackpool. Located on Warbreck Hill Road, the academy provides teaching and learning for children aged four to 16, covering all curriculum subjects. Pupils will now be able to take advantage of the upgraded classrooms, enhanced dining and kitchen facilities and bespoke resource areas. As well as adding essential study areas, the project has also extended the academy’s offering with the addition of a dance studio, gym and an extension to the drama hall. The science laboratories and hair and beauty teaching rooms have also been transformed, while landscaping to all outdoor play areas has enhanced the academy’s external appearance.
BDP to design Suzhou Business School
BDP has won the commission to design the International Business School in the ancient city of Suzhou, which lies 80km to the west of Shanghai. The school makes up the last building of the Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University (XJTLU) south campus. BDP was appointed in 2012 to masterplan the large-scale campus to provide world-class teaching, laboratory and research facilities and has already designed five faculty buildings on the site. This latest commission will provide
30,000 sqm of flexible accommodation for the school’s three core areas of activity: research, learning and teaching, business engagement. The new building will look
inwards, facing the lake at heart of the campus. It has been designed with a highly glazed east-facing façade which activates interaction between the interior and the landscape around the lake. The detail of the glass louvres has been developed to maximise natural daylight while minimising solar gain. The building facilitates a diverse range
of flexible learning environments and is designed so that every part of the building is used fully throughout the day. The atrium accommodates a diverse range of social and learning spaces including a welcome and exhibition area, a café, games area, learning resource centre and an innovation hub.
Unity Academy image: David Millington Photography
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