Multi-disciplinary architectural and engineering practice Pick
Everard is leading the way on an ambitious, £30m town centre
campus for Dudley College that will open in 2012. Construction
starts on site on 28 February and the contractor is
Birmingham-based ISG.
The Dudley College 'Evolve' building is part of a ten-year
project to create an inspirational learning quarter in the town,
providing state-of-the-art teaching for sixth form, further and
higher education. The College serves over 12,000 learners around
the Black Country, of whom around 2,500 are local 16 to 19
year-olds in full-time education or vocational study.
The design of 'Dudley Evolve' gained overwhelming planning
approval after radical revision following the collapse of Learning
and Skills Council funding. Plans are also at an advanced stage for
a sixth form and higher education centre in Priory Road. A
Construction and Engineering Technologies Centre on the main
Broadway campus is also planned to start in 2015.
In keeping with its central, conservation area location, the
building combines contemporary design with a civic aesthetic,
comprising 8,200 sq m, set over four floors. It will incorporate a
sports hall, gym, public performance auditorium and dance studios.
Work on the first phase begins with the demolition of the former
town fire station in Tower Street, yet retaining the fire station
façade.
Pick Everard is leading a Buying Solutions team to manage both
design and implementation of the scheme, providing structural,
civil and highways engineering services, construction design and
management and BREEAM consultancy, aiming for an 'Excellent'
rating.
Pick Everard Associate and Architect Brian Rule said that Dudley
'Evolve' had been widely acclaimed as a building that would help
learners achieve their aspirations for the future: "We are
delighted to have such a high level of support and are looking
forward to implementing what will be a superb centre of learning
for Dudley and the Black Country."
Pick Everard offers a comprehensive project management service
under the Buying Solutions framework, geared to the exacting
demands of the construction industry. The practice has renowned
expertise in educational construction, with award-winning projects
including Stephenson College, Madani High School, Oakham School,
Derby High School and Leicester Grammar School.