The University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) has announced plans to develop a state-of-the-art engineering building that will attract and inspire the engineers of the future.
Subject to planning consents the multimillion pound building will be located next to the new Bristol Business School in the heart of the Frenchay Campus.
The design team, led by architects AHR, has been appointed, and the concept design is anticipated to be ready by the end of November 2017.
Contractors will be appointed in January and planning permission sought in early April 2018.
Professor Steve West, UWE Bristol President and Vice-Chancellor, said,
“We aim to make UWE Bristol the number one school of engineering amongst the University Alliance group by 2020.
This exciting plan continues our commitment to investing in our campuses and facilities.
There is a shortage of engineers in the region and we are responding to this demand by delivering a practice-based curriculum that will produce ready and able graduates equipped with the right industry skills, experience and knowledge.”
Tod Burton, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Environment and Technology, said,
“This will be a new Engineering building for a new Engineering pedagogy.
The building will support our move to collaborative, problem-based learning, enabling our students to develop the skills and knowledge that UK industry requires to remain at the forefront of advancements in Engineering.”
The building will help to attract a diverse, creative and innovative student body to engineering as a profession and help address the future skills gaps in the region and also supports the Government’s commitment to increasing the number of young people studying STEM subjects.
The 8,500m2 building will enable the faculty to respond to the emerging demand for Degree Apprenticeships in Engineering.
It will accommodate 1,600 undergraduate and post graduate students along with 100 academic and technical staff.
Subject to planning consent, construction will begin in summer 2018 and be completed during the summer of 2020.