BAM starts work at Sandwell Health Futures UTC
Hemel Hempstead, 26 September 2014 - BAM Construction is to build a £9 million University Technical College (UTC) in Sandwell – it’s sixteenth UTC. The contractor will deliver the Health Futures UTC in the West Bromwich for sponsors including the University of Wolverhampton, West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust, Co-operative Pharmacy and 21 partner employers.
The 5,390 sq m building will contain four storeys of learning space for 600 pupils aged 14 to 19. The UTC will specialise in preparing pupils for health science careers. It will feature laboratories as well as a visualisation suite allowing use of modern technology to simulate real-world scenarios. BAM will also create a room that will act as a hospital teaching ward, where pupils can practice their craft in realistic settings. A multi-use games area will be created on the building’s roof to make the best use of the tight town centre site.
A tenth of the building’s energy will come from renewables, with photovoltaic cells used for solar power.
Professor Linda Lang, Dean of the Faculty of Education, Health and Wellbeing and UTC project chair, said: ‘The UTC will be among the first in the country to focus on the health sector and we’re very proud to be working together with so many partners from front line health services to deliver what will be an innovative curriculum. We are delighted work has now started on what will be a fantastic building with state-of-the-art facilities for students and we look forward to working with BAM on the project. What is exciting about the UTC is that students will be provided with the skills to take them onto the path to a career in healthcare gained by working closely with employers.’
BAM construction director David Ellis said: ‘We are delighted to be delivering this important facility for Sandwell. Our success in securing opportunities working with academies, free schools and university technical colleges in recent years shows BAM is trusted to create high quality education facilities during changing times. We will work hard to ensure this project delivers benefits for pupils, teachers, local businesses and the wider community and environment.’
The project has just started on site and is due for completion in August 2015.
BAM won the right to negotiate the scheme when it secured the £9.3 million contract to build the Nottingham University Academy of Science and Technology (NUAST) earlier this year, a project now approaching completion.
The contractor is also negotiating further UTCs at Derby and Burton. It has worked extensively across the region in recent years, including a major redevelopment of East Midlands Airport and the £26m redevelopment of Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena (NIA) and the Q3 Academy in Great Barr.
Further information: Mark Slattery, press and media manager, BAM Construct UK Ltd, 01442 238415.