Redbrick Issue 1495 , Vol. 83
Friday 21st September 2018
FREE
Exploring the University's new Dubai campus
We tackle the biggest myths about student life
Getting the most out of the UK's second city
The best TV to binge with your new flatmates
News 3
Life&Style 5
Culture 6
Television 7
Welcome to Birmingham Your comprehensive guide to making the most of first year
Redbrick
The Official University of Birmingham Student Newspaper, est. 1936
An Exclusive Look At The Green Heart Redbrick News take a look behind the scenes of the newest addition to campus Liam Taft, Sophie Woodley & Megan Stanley News Editors
The University’s controversial Green Heart project, currently under construction on campus, is on track to open in early 2019. Redbrick gained exclusive access to the construction site to learn more about what the project will look like, the struggles that the construction team have overcome, and how the space will serve students at UoB. The Green Heart is built on the site of the old library, deemed unfit for purpose and demolished last year. Open green space was part of the original heritage of UoB’s campus before it was developed. Therefore, the team wanted to return to this original vision of the University’s founders. Plans for the project were drawn up by landscape architect Chris Churchman and the designers responsible for creating the 2012 Olympic Park. One major aesthetic component is a bronze door sculpture, on loan from Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, which is engraved with poetry by T.S. Eliot. Three shields will be on display, including the UoB crest, which were saved from the old library and have been restored by a stonemason. The Green Heart is designed like a ladder: on one side is The Rill – a large water feature which flows alongside the new library – and on the other is the raised walkway next to Muirhead Tower. Connecting these two elements together are several pathways and areas of green space. The Rill will be home to a range of plants, hoping to attract more wildlife to the area and protect the campus’ biodiversity. There will also be a sanctuary to protect the local hedgehog population. Attention has been paid to water management, in order to prevent future damage on campus (which was affected by
flash flooding earlier this year). An amphitheatre, with a predicted capacity of between three and five thousand, is currently being constructed where the North Car Park was previously located. This will provide space for performances from student drama groups and will also host university events, such as the Proms. A large lawn connects the library to Muirhead Tower, which will soon be home to a new food outlet. One reason for constructing the raised walkway near Muirhead Tower is to cover up the lower levels of the tower, which were never intended to be on display. Another reason is to provide a more direct route between the University and Pritchatts Road, especially for wheelchairs and white stick users, making the area more accessible. The Green Heart will also provide outdoor study spaces for students. An additional 70 WiFi spots have been provided to ensure that visitors can access the internet, as well as many USB ports. A new Learning Centre is being constructed nearby, which will house more lecture theatres, seminar rooms, and independent study spaces. The project has been controversial amongst students, especially regarding funding. Two years ago, a banner advertising the Green Heart was draped across the old library, costing £27,000 (or the price of a three-year degree), understandably causing outcry, with many believing that the funds for the project could have been allocated to more practical needs such as mental health services. Senior Project Manager Stephen Ashton told Redbrick that the Capital program – which includes several projects across the university – has cost between £160-180m. ‘I know it is a lot of money,’ he says, ‘but in the big scheme of the Capital program, it is important that we spend some money on the bits between the buildings so that we can have a good consistent experience across the
campus.’ Questions have also been raised about the purpose of the project, with some claiming that the Green Heart is just a vanity project used to advertise to prospective students. Ashton agrees that this is partly the motivation behind the project, but claims it is not the primary aim. ‘There are layers of things we want to do,’ he says, ‘it is a place where you can go and work, it is a place where you can relax and enjoy time inbetween more formal activities on campus, and it is a really good place where you can meet people.’ The loss of the North Car Park to make way for the new amphitheatre has also proved controversial, with some students concerned that there are now too few parking spaces on campus. Ashton makes it clear that the project
INSIDE: An Introduction to Redbrick’s Sections, and How to Get Involved In Your Student Newspaper
had to go through a planning application, which required the project planners to maintain approximately 3,000 car parking spaces. What’s more, there are plans in place to construct three new car parks on the location where the Munrow Sports Centre used to be, in order to ‘take the pressure off some areas on campus.’ The construction of the Green Heart is on schedule to open in January, despite flooding earlier in the year and high temperatures during the summer, which threatened to kill trees in the area. A small opening ceremony is scheduled, in which the Vice Chancellor and Guild President will open the North Gate for the first time. More events will follow throughout spring and summer, potentially culminating in June’s Graduation Ball. www.redbrick.me