Bournville College Longbridge : Architecture

BOURNVILLE COLLEGE CELEBRATES START OF "LEARNING QUARTER" 3 Dec 2009 Bournville College is set to celebrate the launch of its landmark £66 million build on 3 December, with VIPs from across the country descending on Birmingham for an event at the International Convention Centre. The event will allow attendees to have a sneak preview into the plans of the new college campus and how it aims to act as a catalyst for the £1 billion regeneration of Longbridge. The scheme has been designed by the Birmingham office of international practice Broadway Malyan, who are also working on the delivery stage on site. The practice has been involved from Inception in designing the new home for the College as a landmark building on the new Longbridge Masterplan. Bournville College is set to become the "Learning Quarter" of the mixed use regeneration programme located on the ex-MG Rover site. The new campus will span 4.2 acres, offering a new learning resource centre, business school, construction workshop and leisure and sport facilities to 15,000 students. Salim Hussain, Lead Architect on the project, said: "The new building represents a significant contribution to the regeneration of Longbridge through its striking design, as well as providing an inspirational and practical learning environment for staff and learners. We look forward to working with all parties to ensure the successful delivery of this major project." With support from Advantage West Midlands, the Learning and Skills Council and Birmingham City Council, the new campus is set to open its doors in September 2011, bringing together Bournville's current 3 campuses under one roof. The new build is one of 13 colleges that were chosen following a robust and thorough assessment in the review of the FE Capital building programme by the LSC and Sir Andrew Foster. Karren Brady, former CEO of Birmingham City FC and guest speaker at the new build event says: "I am delighted to be taking part in this momentous occasion in Bournville College's history "The new build will play a vital role in the £1 billion regeneration project at Longbridge, providing a strong educational element to the employment led mixed-use development. "In these trying and difficult economic times it is vital that we invest in the future of our community, in the hope that they will continue to take this country from strength to strength "Thursday's event is a perfect example of how businesses, investors and members of the community can combine resources and work together to make a brighter future for all." Norman Cave, Principal at Bournville College said: "The mission of the college has always been to raise the level of skills and knowledge of people and organisations in the area. With this fantastic new build we will continue to offer our students the highest level of teaching available, giving them a head start in these trying economic times." "It has taken us five years to get to this point and without the help of all the partners and businesses who have invested both time and money into the project, we would not have made it this far. The VIP evening allows us to say thank you to all those involved." "It will also give us an opportunity to showcase plans for the new build, proving to the people of Birmingham that the new College will not only benefit students but also the entire community of the south west of the city and beyond." Bournville College information received 031209