The Brunel Building labs will be demolished to make way for a Civic Heart / Urban Park

A Welsh company has been awarded an £800,000 contract to work on the new engineering building at Plymouth University. Construction of the University of Plymouth's new engineering and design complex has been awarded to Welsh aluminium fabricator Dudley's Aluminium, which will get a contract worth more than £800,000 for its work.

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Using Kawneer capped curtain walling, windows, commercial doors, and Louvreshield window frames as well as automatic doors, the fabricator will complete the installation of the new Engineering and Design Facility on the university’s main city-centre campus, in collaboration with BAM Construction, in the coming months.

The low-energy complex will house the School of Engineering, while also offering more space for the School of Art, Design, and Architecture, which will benefit from the reduced energy use.

Completing the installation of the new Engineering and Design Facility

The building will have vast, flexible classroom spaces, as well as cutting-edge technology and resources, all of which will help to further the university’s position as a world-class centre for engineering and design research, education, and learning.

The block will be finished by the start of the 2023/24 academic year

The university has already begun work on converting the current Babbage Building, which is located on the western side of the main campus. It is anticipated that the conversion of the block will be finished by the start of the 2023/24 academic year.

In addition to providing more space for the School of Art, Design, and Architecture, this project will also provide a new home for the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics.

As part of the university’s ambitious £100 million campus plan, the Brunel Building labs will be demolished to make way for a “Civic Heart/Urban Park,” which is scheduled to continue after the Brunel Building is demolished.

Restoring the original 1970s Babbage building

Although the specifics of this project are likely to be finalised in 2022, the university is now working on expanding the existing Babbage building and restoring the original 1970s Babbage building, which will result in more than 10,000 square metres of research and teaching space.

As a result, the university will have access to upgraded and current specialised equipment that will be linked with faculty research and experience, as well as the ability to collaborate with area industrial partners.

Designed by the internationally acclaimed architectural firm Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios

The engineering and design block, which was designed by the internationally acclaimed architectural firm Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, received conditional planning approval from Plymouth City Council in late 2020.

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