Birmingham council has approved plans for a 10-storey landmark Aston university lantern block. The circular sawtooth facade structure nicknamed the lantern is set to be the first phase of plans to refresh the central Birmingham campus with a significant masterplan.
The 12,000 sq m block is designed by Hawkins\Brown architect and will be separated into two different elements. Located in the heart of the University campus, ground floor to the building will be open to the school community and public alike. The upper floors of the building will contains teaching and learning facilities and academic workspace. A fountain at the application site, which is now highly disused from the relocation of the students’ union, will be relocated as part of the scheme.
Read also:The Great Jackson Street cluster twin skyscraper under construction in Manchester.
Community growth.
The Aston university lantern block project is one of the wider thought by the university to upgrade its campus and the surrounding communities. The Aston University’s lantern block project team includes Hoare Lea as MEP consultant, Price & Myers as structural and civil engineer and project manager Ridge.
Ian Oldacre, the university’s director of estates said: “Our ambitious campus vision sets out our aspiration to take a position significantly within the delivery of a ‘destination campus’ to satisfy the changing demands and opportunities faced by universities.
“Aston University’s future growth will embrace evolving trends like online and remote learning, greater connectivity, the expansion in international students and closer collaboration with commercial partners and therefore the businessmen . This new landmark building represents the primary stage of our masterplan and long-term strategy. We have worked closely with our partners at Birmingham council to develop a building of iconic status, not only for Aston University, apart from the town of Birmingham.”
Apart from Aston University’s lantern block, Hawkins\Brown other contracts in the education sector includes projects for University College London, University of Oxford and University of Manchester.
