Bournville College Longbridge : Architecture

18 Mar Planning permission gained. Start on site due Summer 2009. Previously: Broadway Malyan scoops detailed design for £84m Bournville College at Longbridge The Birmingham office of international design practice Broadway Malyan has been appointed as detailed architect for the new £84 million Bournville College – a major element in the first phase of St. Modwen’s £750 million redevelopment of the former MG Rover works at Longbridge. With the concept design for the project now complete, a detailed planning application has been submitted. Currently located in Northfield, Bournville College is moving to Longbridge in order to bring together its existing three campuses into purpose built, state of the art premises which will see over 15,000 students in both further and higher education. Driving the project from Broadway Malyan’s Birmingham office, Lead Architect Salim Hussain commented: “The new Bournville College marks one of the first phases of the biggest regeneration scheme in the region, so it is incredibly rewarding to have the opportunity to implement the concept design through the build stage. “We will be working with the entire project and development team to ensure the delivery of a first rate building that will set a new standard for education facilities in the UK. The iconic designs for the college make a clear statement of intent with regard to St. Modwen’s regeneration of the former MG Rover works, whilst also highlighting the renaissance of south-west Birmingham.” The six storey building will be located on Longbridge North and will anchor the new town centre at the heart of St. Modwen’s regeneration of the 468 acre former MG Rover works. The prominent location on the junction of the A38 Bristol Road South and Longbridge Lane and in close proximity to Longbridge train station means it is imperative that the college design is reflective of the new vision for the area. Mike Murray, senior development manager for St. Modwen, said: “With Broadway Malyan on board as detailed architects and with a planning application submitted for the new Bournville College, we have taken a major step forward in providing a new high quality education facility at Longbridge. Not only will the new Bournville College shape Birmingham’s learning environment, it will also form the first phase of the new Longbridge Town Centre and therefore represents a milestone in a new future for Longbridge.” The new Bournville College will be housed in one building comprised of multiple distinct blocks, interlinking around the central spine building where, at the heart, a double height atrium will act as an ambient space for all of the students to come together and interact with each other. Positioned around the spine will be a business centre and a Learning Resource Centre, encapsulated by bold 1m deep timber frames that will the provide a strong scale and rhythm to the central atrium space, which will be top lit by a series of large wedge shaped rooflights. Colour and texture are used throughout the design to provide students with inspired break out areas in which to study, away from the more formalised arrangement of the classrooms. Bold colours are also used on the exterior of the building in a fractal pattern, helping to make the college a landmark of the Longbridge development. With the River Rea being returned to an open watercourse after being underground since the early 1900s, a fully glazed tower has also been incorporated in the design to overlook the river and facilitate interaction between the college and its landscape. Broadway Malyan’s accessible designs have been developed to ensure the college will encourage the local community to use the building’s facilities, with public access to areas within the building including the sports hall, restaurant and hair & beauty salons. Sustainability is at the heart of St. Modwen’s regeneration of Longbridge, and the college will be no exception. The building has been designed to achieve a BREEAM rating of Excellent and hosts a number of environmental design features. These include rainwater harvesting for use in flushing toilets, earth tubes for ventilating the dramatic double height Learning Resource Centre and an exposed concrete frame to the Spine building to assist with night-time cooling. Norman Cave, principal of Bournville College, believes the design of the building to be integral to the long-term success of the facility. Norman said: “The brief was to create a landmark building that represented the vision for Longbridge as well as providing an educational facility that could meet the needs of businesses, local community, adults and young learners. Fundamental to this was the creation of an effective working partnership where design ideas could meet the aspirations of the College. We believe that our partnership has done just that and we look forward to providing a 21st Century educational facility to an area of the city which has been severely affected by the demise of MG Rover.” Subject to planning permission and funding from the Learning & Skills Council, a contractor for Bournville College will be appointed in spring 2009 and work is expected to start on site by the middle of this year. The build programme is expected to conclude in time for the start of the new academic year in September 2011. Birmingham Buildings St. Modwen St. Modwen’s £750 million Longbridge scheme is one of the largest regeneration projects in the West Midlands. The pioneering vision for the former MG Rover works includes the creation of 10,000 new jobs and 1,980 new homes alongside quality public realm and access to excellent transport links, all of which will establish Longbridge as a truly mixed use model of sustainability. Broadway Malyan Broadway Malyan is a leading international practice of architects, urbanists and designers, employing over 600 people across fourteen offices throughout the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Established in 1958, the company recently celebrated 50 years in practice and has been ranked as one of the top 25 architecture practices in the world. Broadway Malyan offers clients international standards of skill and experience combined with proven local knowledge across all key sectors, drawing on the expertise of an integrated team of specialists including architects, masterplanners, landscape architects, regeneration and sustainability consultants and interior designers. The practice’s size, knowledge and experience base, global breadth and interdisciplinary culture make us exceptional and allow us to undertake a wide spectrum of projects. Broadway Malyan constantly seek to deliver buildings and places that meet the needs of clients, enhance the environment and are both sustainable and rooted in their community. Innovation and creativity are central to this approach and the practices projects frequently win major awards. Broadway Malyan believes in the added value of great design and place making and is driven by a genuine commitment to the task of making better cities and creating places which enrich people’s lives.