BAM Construction has been appointed by Birmingham Metropolitan College, working alongside Partnerships for Schools, as the main contractors for the £11.5m planned new building to replace the current Harborne Academy.
The new building will be built in front of the current building allowing the Academy to continue to operate.
The plan for the new build will provide learning spaces which are flexible and personalised and this investment is a further demonstration of Birmingham Metropolitan College’s commitment to transforming the educational experiences for pupils attending the Academy. This will be a landmark building that will put Harborne Academy on the map as the leading Academy in the West Midlands.
BAM will build thereplacement facility highlightingthe institution’s flagship health and science facilities and creating new community facilities for the Edgbaston and Harborne area. These will include a national standard sports hall, a movement hall, drama studio, a main hall, dining facilities and learning resource centre to compliment the range of classrooms and outdoor learning spaces.
The new building will include a grand entrance which will run onto Harborne Road giving visibility of the Academy’s flagship health and science facilities, and the main reception area will include a large, stepped glass atrium which will be used for assemblies, music and theatre productions and independent learning.
Students at the Academy contributed to planning the new academy structure and met with the architects to discuss the main elements of the scheme and to give a ‘student voice’ to what was required in the new building.
BAM’s pre-construction manager Simon Bird said:
‘We are delighted to be able to use our skills and experience to deliver a vibrant, modern learning facility for Harborne and to enhance the lives of people in the area.’
BAM is also at work for Aston University and Birmingham University, marking it out as the leading education contractor in the area. It is also proving to the one of the most successful UK firms on the Government’s academy framework programme.
Birmingham Metropolitan College’s Estates Director, John Starmer, commented:
‘We are delighted to be working with BAM Construction who were the main contractors for the Matthew Boulton campus in 2005. This iconic building won the prestigious RIBA Award for its design excellence. This new building is a further cementing of Birmingham Metropolitan College and Harborne Academy working together to achieve excellence’.
The Academy which is sponsored by Birmingham Metropolitan College will have 800 pupils aged 11 to 18. The Academy will raise the aspirations of the local community and will provide outstanding opportunities for the local pupils and the communities it serves.
The work is anticipated to begin in July 2012, and completion is scheduled for September
2013.
