University secures £8m for new centre of excellence

The University of Wolverhampton has secured £8m of funding for its pioneering regeneration partnership at the city’s former Springfield Brewery site.The funding has been provided by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) through the Catalyst Fund, which is designed to drive innovation and enhance excellence in the Higher Education sector.Springfield Campus is a £100m jointly-funded redevelopment. It aims to improve skills standards in the construction industry.As part of its ‘Our Vision, Your Opportunity’ £250m programme of investment, the University of Wolverhampton has committed to transform the derelict brewery into an education hub for construction and the built environment.The university has secured planning and listed building consent in order to relocate its School of Architecture and the Built Environment to site. The plans include the demolition of a number of existing buildings which have fallen into disrepair, redeveloping and refurbishing others, as well as creating a new building.The investment will provide 8,100m² of space, creating an atrium, open plan design studios, lab and workshop space, research space, lecture theatres, classrooms, social learning space, student services, catering and café facilities and administrative support.The historic outer brick façade on Grimstone Street and Cambridge Street will be retained and the area landscaped. Old and new buildings will be linked by a glazed bridge.