Bournville College | Longbridge | 6 fl | Comp.

[Biosonic]

Don't think we have a thread for this, so:

NEWS:

http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?...de=3132894&c=1

Broadway Malyan seeks planning for £84m college at Longbridge
2 February, 2009

By Michael Willoughby

Bournville College will form a key part of St Modwen's redevelopment of the former MG Rover car works site

Architect Broadway Malyan has applied for planning approval for its detail design for a £84m new campus for Bournville College on the site of the former MG Rover works at Longbridge, Warwickshire.

The scheme, which is part of developer St Mowden's £750m plans for the former car works site, will unite the college's three campuses in one site, serving 15,000 further and higher education students and adult learners.

Leading the project from Broadway Malyan's Birmingham office, Salim Hussain said: “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.”

The six-storey building will be located on Longbridge North and is intended to create a new town centre at the heart of the regenerated 190ha site.

The new Bournville College will be housed in one building, comprising multiple distinct blocks interlinked around the central spine structure with a double-height atrium. A glazed tower will overlook the nearby River Rea, running overground for the first time since early last century.

The college will provide public access to a sports hall, restaurant and hair and beauty salons on site. It has been designed to achieve a BREEAM 'Excellent' rating and sustainability features include rainwater harvesting, earth tubes and an exposed concrete frame for improved thermal mass.

St Modwen’s £750m Longbridge scheme is one of the largest regeneration projects in the West Midlands. The plan includes the creation of 10,000 new jobs and 1,980 new homes alongside public realm and access to transport links.

Norman Cave, principal of Bournville College, believes the design of the building to be integral to the long-term success of the facility.

He 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.”

The MG Rover car works closed in 2005 with the loss over 6,000 jobs, although a Chinese firm, the Nanjing Automobile Corporation, maintains a small workforce on site to build MG sports cars.

Originally Posted by feltip

Work starts on Bournville College at Longbridge
Oct 23 2008 By Alun Thorne, Head of Business

Remediation work has begun to clear the way for a multi-million pound college that will underpin the ambitious programme to transform the former MG Rover plant in Longbridge.

Developer St. Modwen has started an extensive programme of preparatory works on the site of the former North Works for construction of the new £84 million Broadway Malyan-designed Bournville College.

The £750m scheme, being driven by St. Modwen and joint landowner Advantage West Midlands, will eventually see the creation of a essentially new suburb of Birmingham with new homes, a town centre, the college and more than a million square foot of commercial space for new technology-focused industries.

The vision for Longbridge town centre includes a major food store, together with a variety of other retail and service uses, employment space, hotels and leisure uses as well as 460 new homes and The Austin Centre – a community building which will primarily be used as a focal hub for a host of local groups.

Over the course of the development thousands of tonnes of soil will be remediated at Longbridge North – enough to fill more than 35 Olympic-sized swimming pools – and, following the removal of ground contamination and concrete obstructions, the site will be re-graded to enable infrastructure and building works to commence.

Construction is scheduled to start on Bournville College in summer 2009.

The preparatory works will also include the construction of the realigned River Rea, which has been underground since the early 1900s.

The river will be returned to an open watercourse and will become a key feature of Longbridge North.

It will run through Austin Park at the heart of the town centre, which will also include cycle lanes, footpaths, riverside seating and grass terraces.

Mark Batchelor, construction manager for St. Modwen, said: “Sustainability is very much at the heart of the regeneration of Longbridge and more than 95 per cent of on-site material is being recycled for future use in the project.

Contaminated material will be treated by Hawk and Celtic Ltd using ex-situ bioremediation, which allows for the treated material to be re-used elsewhere in the scheme.

This reduces the need for importing and off site disposal of material, thus decreasing traffic on the roads and reducing the carbon emissions of the project.“ As well as the environment, the interests of the existing community surrounding the 468 acre Longbridge site are of utmost importance, with St. Modwen introducing measures that will keep disturbance to an absolute minimum.

Hawk’s innovative new silent breakers will drastically reduce noise disturbance and excessive dust, a common problem during preparatory work, will be reduced using Celtic Ltd’s filtration kit.

“Around five million square feet of the vast Longbridge site has already been cleared by St. Modwen. We are working closely with the Environment Agency, Birmingham City Council and Bromsgrove District Council to ensure this former industrial site is fully remediated, allowing the area to be completely transformed into a prosperous mixed-use town centre built around jobs, communities and people.”

The proposals for the area as a response to the city council’s Area Action Plan are currently subject to a public inquiry.

The hearing heard that the residential element of the regeneration scheme may be delayed due to the slump.

http://www.birminghampost.net/birmin...5233-22102087/

[i_like_concrete]

Interesting design, it reminds me of a building but I can't think what.

[U475 Foxtrot]

Originally Posted by i_like_concrete

Interesting design, it reminds me of a building but I can't think what.

This one?

[fruit&nut]

Originally Posted by U475 Foxtrot

]

They're placing some bronzy/gold cladding on the building right by the road.

I take it it's that bit at the right hand side of this picture.

[sefton66]

Originally Posted by fruit&nut

They're placing some bronzy/gold cladding on the building right by the road.

I take it it's that bit at the right hand side of this picture.

i think you mean left hand side of that picture?

Yeah its That one, the cladding looks really gold and shiney up front like in the renders!

[markmcd1976]

Is it "The Deep" in Hull?, which is right on the seafront??

[i_like_concrete]

Oh yes that's it, similar shape.

[blar]

The first image is very Le Corbusier in its style. I really like the timber palisade in the second image as it softens the boxy appearance of the building

[Biosonic]

I'm interested to see how they will support that overhang.

[Biosonic]

Well, it's the same architect...

[fruit&nut]

"....enough to fill more than 35 Olympic-sized swimming pools...."

If only.....

[feltip]

Couple of other images from The Post from Bio and a few snaps of the model of the design I took.

Originally Posted by Biosonic

Broadway Malyan's Bournville College for Longbridge. From The Post.

Originally Posted by feltip

Model of Broadway Malyan's Bournville College scheme from their offices.

[BrummieLad]

Hmm dont like it at all it's a college not some museum! Making wacky buildings!

[GrAfiK_248]

Im the opposite, very much like it! Like to know the reason for the random balcony lol

[Bureau des etrangers]

Originally Posted by GrAfiK_248

Im the opposite, very much like it! Like to know the reason for the random balcony lol

I just noticed that looking at the renders GrAfiK, it seems like an after-thought just tagged on! I would rather see plenty of balconies across that large wall or no balcony at all.

Other than that i think it looks great. Glad its got the green light and nice to see things happening at longbridge- thanks for the article feltip.

[feltip]

Got a few more pictures from the planning app:

http://birminghamcentral.blogspot.co...ongbridge.html

[Erebus555]

For some reason your blog isn't loading at all. Usually it does but I always end up with connection timed out...

[feltip]

Bournville College scheme gets green light
Ben Cook, Regen.net, 19 March 2009

Planning approval has been granted for a college that is intended to be a key element of the regeneration of the former MG Rover works at Longbridge in Birmingham.

The proposed Bournville College scheme will involve the relocation of the existing Bournville College in Northfield to Longbridge.

The joint project by developer St Modwen and regional development agency Advantage West Midlands would bring together the college’s three disparate campuses into a new 23,000 sq metre premises.

The developer expects construction of the college is to begin this summer, subject to detailed approval and funding from the Learning & Skills Council.

St Modwen expects the work to create hundreds of jobs.

Work is expected to finish in time for the start of the new academic year in September 2011, St Modwen said.

http://www.regen.net/news/ByDiscipli...s-green-light/

[markmcd1976]

Wonder is this will be affected by the story in the news yesterday about colleges having to put their growth plans on hold becuase funding has been withdrawn?

[feltip]

£4m wasted if Bournville College plans are scrapped, warns head
Mar 24 2009 by Tony Collins, Birmingham Post

The head of a Birmingham college has warned that nearly £4 million could go to waste if plans for a new £84 million campus are scrapped due to a Government funding crisis.

Bournville College, which is looking to relocate from its present site to the former Rover factory in Longbridge, is one of 16 colleges across the West Midlands whose plans are being reviewed to see if they are feasible.

Sion Simon, the MP for Erdington and minister for further education, told Birmingham Post last week that the Government simply did not have enough money to pay for all the planned building projects.

The review, being carried out by former Audit Commission chief executive Sir Andrew Foster, could also threaten the major expansion plans of Sandwell College and Sutton Coldfield College.

Sandwell, which is looking to build a new £85 million campus in West Bromwich, and Sutton Coldfield, which is planning a £42 million campus in Perry Barr, have already had their submissions for approval “in detail” postponed twice.

Bournville, which waited for the Longbridge area action plan to be completed, is due to have its application heard by the regional Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in May, followed by the national LSC in June.

Principal Norman Cave said: “It is a worrying time for everyone and we are all concerned about it. My understanding is that all colleges in our situation have received a letter advising them to stop spending further funds in relation to their particular projects pending the review being done by Sir Andrew Foster.

“But we have already spent up to £4 million getting to this stage, on fees and on work involved in securing the design of a new site and preparing our existing site for possible sale.

http://www.birminghampost.net/news/w...5233-23217039/