University Campus Suffolk
Location: Ipswich
Client: University Campus Suffolk
Contract Value: £20 million
Size: 10,500 m2
Year: 2006-08
RMJM were appointed as masterplanners and designers for the Phase 1 Ipswich Hub building for the new University Campus Suffolk at Ipswich in early 2006 following a competitive interview process under the OGC Framework with Turner &Townsend. The project is a joint initiative between the University of East Anglia and the University of Essex. The initiative aims to improve accessibility to tertiary education within Suffolk by the creation of a new ‘Education Quarter’ in the centre of Ipswich which includes the relocation of the existing FE college and the creation of a ‘hub’ facility for UCS.
Phase one of the Ipswich Hub provides the University Campus Suffolk with a high quality landmark building on the waterfront that will set the standards for the rest of the university phases.
The project is vital for the institution at local, county and national level, and as such will raise the profile of Ipswich onto the national level for higher education with the associated benefits. The site for the new campus consists of the southern part of the site currently occupied by Suffolk College, as well as the waterfront site and Orwell Quay.
For UCS the aspiration is to develop a campus that consists of contemporary and timeless buildings, which requires that they are economic to construct, flexible enough to cope with a change of use, and sustainable in terms of energy efficiency and cost in use.
UCS requires that the waterfront building delivers a landmark statement, which will raise their profile and provide a strong image for the promotion of the new university.
The vision is to develop the Education Quarter, incorporating higher and further education facilities while delivering the following aspirations:
• provide flexible teaching/ social/ infrastructural accommodation for the maxiumum number of students while limiting the amount of bespoke space
• facilitate future growth through the provision of adaptable space to accommodate changing needs
• provide an identifiable university exerience that is student and community centred
• effective/ creative integration of key social spaces with teaching functions
• create a landmark/ sustainable/ accessible/ UCS shop front building
Throughout the process the success of the project will be measured against the following aspirational objectives and shared values:
• innovative
• bold
• flexible
• sustainable
• student centred
• integrated
• impact
• implementable
RMJM and the design team have taken the initial aspirational objectives and translated them into a brief for the new institution, and the following areas of accommodation are provided in the waterfront facility:
• Student Centre
• Exhibition area
• Student facing faculty space for two departments
• Teaching space - includes seminar, breakout, lecture space
• Administration space
• Learning Resource areas (quiet study and informal learning)
• Retail
• Cafe
• Storerooms
The amount of space required for the first phase building creates the opportunity of providing a new publicly accessible open space on the site. The mix of uses will encourage new links between the university institution, education quarter and local community, providing a valuable resource within Ipswich.
The University is committed to providing an environmentally exemplar building that underpins their commitment to providing an integrated student centred sustainable campus of the future. At the tender stage the building was rated as ‘Excellent’ under the BREEAM rating system.
RMJM and the design team have managed to complete the brief and design for the building in 12 months, and construction will start in April 2007, with a completion date of September 2008. At the same time RMJM have been developing plans for Orwell Quay, to the south of the first phase, and for the existing campus, to the north.
University Campus Suffolk building : RMJM Architects
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