This case study was undertaken in 2006 at which point the institution was known as Matthew Boulton College. The Matthew Boulton Campus is now part of the Birmingham Metropolitan College.
Start/End dates
Project conceived end 1999/early 2000. Commencement on site September 2003 (Demolition). Construction commenced January 2004, completion July 2005 and open to students September 2005.
Case study tags: learning spaces, birmingham metropolitan college, matthew boulton campus, west midlands
Background & Context
The buildings were in a state of decay and investment was needed. The site of the old buildings was worth money so there was potential to raise money for new building. The city council was supportive in wanting to regenerate both the old and new sites. The College has been relocated to the Eastside Learning Quarter regeneration area of Birmingham, near to the Bullring.
The new development is a 21st Century educational facility which is 'not about the buildings but about the people'. The intention is that it will provide, 'opportunities, success for all and make a significant contribution to the development of education, skills and future prosperity' for the region.
The building has been developed specifically for e-learning and houses both general and specialist teaching facilities covering a wide range of vocational areas, including creative arts areas, a live clinical operating theatre, a 60 place child nursery and a cafe.
The college wanted the new state of the art facilities to 'attract inner city students both full and part time as well as professionals who are part-time learners'. Their adjacency to Aston University campus was considered to be a major strength and an ideal way of encouraging students to 'move seamlessly from our programmes to full degrees at the University'.
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Type of project
New Build/Relocation. Existing site 1960's unfit for purpose and uneconomic to refurbish. Also delivered regeneration at both old and new sites.
Finance
Funding Sources
Sale of land of previous location of college. College worked in partnership with other bodies including the LSC and the local council and the RDA bought accommodation and leased it back to the College.
Cost of Project
Total project cost £38 million (approx) including land, construction, FFE, and professional fees. Construction value £23 million (approximately).
Technology
The new building gave college management the opportunity to completely overhaul the IT systems and technology infrastructure of the college. It was important to apply new systems to meet the expectations of 'tomorrow's students' and in order to do this research was carried out on the future direction of learning and the identification of the most effective strategy to deliver an up-to-date and sophisticated learning environment for future skills requirements. Research showed that 'effective IT systems, people and strategies are no longer 'nice to haves', but prerequisites for continued success'. The College is fully wireless and also has electronic learning aids in all teaching areas. The college used the Official Journal of the European Community (OJEC) to tender for a system to cover student records, a management information system (MIS) and the IT infrastructure.
Matthew Boulton College wanted to put IT at the centre of things in order to provide learners with a rich online resource. Reduction of paper has been a key driver and the storage of hard copies has been radically reduced as a result of the use of technology to store electronic copies.
The College piloted the IT over a year in advance of the move to ensure familiarisation with the equipment and software.
The college believes that 'new technology will allow us to move forward in terms of curriculum provision for actual learning delivery (be that management through planning and performance analysis)'.
The new MIS has streamlined processes for staff, and freed them up to do other work.
Gary Turton and Clive Hill of the College assert that 'Better systems can improve management data, learner experience and reduce costs - key issues and powerful arguments for implementation of new technology'.
Success Factors
What Makes The Space Successful?
The space is very flexible. Side wings give a modular approach over 9 floors. There are different classroom layouts. Users have a real sense of 'ownership' of the building. It is very attractive with quality finishes and the students do feel proud of their environment and as a result are very protective of it. The new building has also had an impact on the level of interest from prospective students in the courses at the College.
What Is Innovative About The Design And The Use Of The Space?
The building itself is on a relatively small footprint in a city centre location on a sloping urban site and has made excellent use of the space available to it, with access on two separate levels. There has been a level of creativity applied with regard to the use of the limited space available and this has worked well, with some very spacious, light and airy areas inside. No two areas are the same making it an interesting environment to study in.
The building has a real emphasis on creating real world type environments for students. There is an operating theatre in the building, dental suites, printing and technology/digital areas. The fashion section has prominent shop style windows along a corridor to effectively showcase students' latest designs.
Top Tips
- Bear in mind that the whole procurement process takes much longer than you would think (OJEC tendering can prove particularly time consuming) - try to build this time into the project plan.
- At all times the learner should be the focus, it is all too easy to get carried away with the building process.
- Be open minded - what you wish for may not be available. Trial systems and train early if at all possible.
- Don't talk to suppliers too early or you can spend all your time in sales meetings. Consider holding an open suppliers briefing to ensure that everyone gets the same messages and to save time.
- Investigate other colleges, learn from their experiences.
- Find a professional partner for the implementing of technology. Partner with them early.
- Use specialist removal services where necessary.
- It won't all work on day one!
Lessons Learned
- Enrolment demand in the year of opening was significantly higher than expected. This led to pressures during the first period and needed to be rapidly responded to.
- The fit out and the move need to be well planned if damage to finishes is to be avoided.
- The move was planned in great detail but even more time could have been spent in ensuring the right equipment and items were relocated. In all aspects of planning you can never start too early.
- Be prepared to consider cutting edge technology in planning because it will most likely be mainstream by the time of implementation.
- There were cultural changes involved including the moving away from paper based records, it was difficult for some staff to surrender some of the paperwork they had accumulated over many years in order to comply with a new approach to the reduction of hard copy documentation throughout the college. This is still an ongoing process.
- The use of technology was a step change and challenging for many staff. Significant ongoing training is required. The move was seen as a new job not just a relocation.
- Car parking was an issue for some as the new site did not have any but other transport initiatives were put into place.
Post Occupancy
Changes Made As A Result Of Feedback
The college dynamically changes to meet the needs of users. These have ranged from reconfiguring some areas to give different sized teaching area from some specialised curriculum areas to additional classroom technology to meet the needs of lecturers. All have been as a result of curriculum change/growth.
Contact Details
Clive Hill, Director of Information Systems & Facilities, chill@mbc.ac.uk
Case study written June 2006.
