Matthew Boulton Campus, Birmingham Metropolitan College
| Contact Details: | Clive Hill, Director of Information Systems & Facilities, chill@mbc.ac.uk |
| 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. |
| Start/End Date: | 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. 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. |
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.
