INVESTMENT
NEW
Springfield Campus revitalises historic brewery
The University’s £100 million investment in a new construction excellence super-campus on the site of the former Grade II listed Springfield brewery in Wolverhampton will welcome its first students this September. The opening of the new School of Architecture and Built Environment is the culmination of almost two years of construction and restoration of the historic buildings, including the 1922 clock tower, that survived a devastating fire in 2004. The new School will specialise in supporting skills in architecture, construction, civil engineering, building control, building services, facilities management, quantity surveying, planning, construction management, housing and commercial. The 7,900 square metre building, which sits in a 12-acre site, comprises specialist teaching and social learning spaces, design studios, specialist labs, multi-disiplinary workshops, lecture theatre, cafe, offices, meeting rooms, ICT rooms and a top floor super-studio with double height ceilings. It will provide space for nearly 1,100 existing students and 65 staff, although the number of students is projected to grow to 1,600. At a topping out ceremony earlier in 2020, Professor Geoff Layer, ViceChancellor, said: “Since the purchase of Springfield in 2014, the derelict site
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LIFE MAGAZINE
At its peak, the Springfield Brewery was producing 1,500 barrels of beer a week and employing 900 people. has been rejuvenated into a centre of excellence for construction and the built environment, delivering an unbeatable skills pathway for construction education and training from the age of 14 to senior professionals and acting as a catalyst for economic and social regeneration. “The new School of Architecture and Built Environment is investing and growing to meet the demands of modern industry and our strong links with employers enable programmes to be developed to closely match their needs – this offers our graduates great employment opportunities upon completion of their degree course.”
SUMMER 2020
