University and Bruntwood sign business school deal
Manchester University has confirmed Bruntwood as its development partner to create a £60m new building at the Manchester Business School campus.
The project will include a new hotel, conference venue, and executive education centre in the Oxford Road corridor.
The project will be delivered in several phases, with construction scheduled to begin next year.
The first phase will see the development of a new four star hotel and conference centre. The hotel will provide a base for the overseas visitors to the business school, as well as adding to the high end hotel space in and around Manchester.
The second and third phases will provide new teaching and administrative homes for the school's MBA programme and the executive education offering. The final phase will include a resources and learning centre.
The university said new scheme will provide Manchester Business School with new facilities to service its growing student population, as well as the leadership and management programmes it delivers for companies such as Tesco, BAE and BT.
Michael Luger, Dean of Manchester Business School, said: "We are delighted to be working with Bruntwood on what will be a flagship investment for the city of Manchester. It's our aim that the new Manchester Business School will become a landmark gateway to Corridor Manchester, at the heart of the city's knowledge-led economy. Our ethos is about applying original thinking to make positive change and the new building, funded in part through pledges in excess of £2m from alumni of the School and local philanthropists, echoes this philosophy – both in its design and function.
"As we move towards our goal of becoming a truly world-class business school the hotel and conference centre will provide an excellent base from which to explore Manchester and it will play a key role in attracting inward development to the city."
Anyone who has been to the dog’s breakfast that is the current business school (basically a number of badly designed buildings cobbled together) will know that this is long overdue. And any change has to be for the better. That said, the design shown here is execrable. A child’s design and build, made from Sticklebricks as far as I can see, shoved onto the end of the existing facility. Knock the lot down and then get an Architect who’s not 6yrs old and build something memorable with pillars. And gargoyles.
By ItsTheFutureStoopid
Oh dear, what a poor effort. This has the look more of a creche or a municipal health centre than a business school.
By disappointed