Pictured above: Neil Pountney 

Forty years ago, as a young quantity surveyor, Neil Pountney was involved in the construction of Aston University's two student residential tower blocks.

Now, as head of the project management team responsible for the University's ongoing £250 million Aston Student Villages regeneration programme, he takes a last nostalgic look at the eight-storey Dalton and Lawrence Towers prior to their demolition on Sunday, May 8.

"One of the first major projects of my career was working on the development of the tower blocks while employed as a cub surveyor with the Edgbaston-based firm of LC Wakeman & Partners," said Mr Pountney. "So it will be a real poignant moment overseeing their demolition and watching them being razed to the ground."

Mr Pountney, who went on to become managing partner of Wakemans before leaving in 1998 to set up his own specialist construction consultancy, is now managing director of Emprima Ltd, which, under his guidance over the last ten years, has built up an unbroken record of managing numerous projects for the University.

Solihull-based Emprima secured the contract for undertaking total management of the Student Villages project after seeing off strong competition from national rivals.

The first phase of the Student Villages project, administered by Emprima and undertaken by Carillion Construction, was completed late last year. The demolition of the Dalton and Lawrence blocks will pave the way for the start of the second stage of the redevelopment, which is scheduled for completion in 2014. By then, Aston will be one of the most sustainable university communities in Europe. When finished, the £250 million construction scheme will have provided high-quality accommodation for around 2,400 university students.