ISG appointed to deliver University of Wolverhampton's National Brownfield Institute

ISG is delighted to have been appointed to the University of Wolverhampton’s National Brownfield Institute (NBI) at its £120m Springfield Campus, through the influential Pagabo Major Works framework.

ISG has been awarded the £17.5millon project, designed by Birmingham-based Associated Architects, to build the NBI building on the construction super campus, with work due to start later this month.

The NBI will be a world-class institute that provides the facility to develop modern methods of building through innovation and partnership with the construction industry, focusing on the practical application of future brownfield regeneration through the work of research teams, leading policy development and commercial services.

The scheme has benefited from £14.9million of funding from the Government’s Get Building Fund for the West Midlands. City of Wolverhampton Council worked closely with the Black Country LEP and West Midlands Combined Authority to secure the funding.

The NBI will secure the City of Wolverhampton's position as a leader internationally in sustainable construction, circular economy and brownfield development and will deliver new skills, jobs and opportunities for local people in the city, which has been hit hard by the pandemic.

Professor Geoff Layer, Vice-Chancellor, University of Wolverhampton, said: “We’re delighted to announce the appointment of ISG as contractor for the NBI meaning that we are a step closer to delivering the project and adding to the portfolio of construction and built environment expertise that now resides at the Springfield Campus.”

Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands and Chair of the WMCA, added: “This Institute will help the West Midlands become a global leader in the clean-up and regeneration of derelict sites.

“That’s important for several reasons not least because every brownfield site we develop saves a greenfield one. But it will also drive next generation thinking and the development of new techniques for transforming brownfield land into vibrant new communities offering affordable and energy efficient homes for local people and modern commercial premises for growing businesses.

“The Institute will also equip our residents with the modern construction skills they will need to work on these brownfield projects, helping to get people into high-skilled, well-paid, work as we look to bounce back from the economic impact of the pandemic.”

Wayne Flannery, ISG’s regional director, said: “Helping to deliver on the city’s vision for a dedicated centre of excellence for construction and built environment learning has been highly motivating for our team. It’s inspiring to work collaboratively with a customer so focused on creating the very best facilities for students and academics to excel in groundbreaking research that could potentially change the way we approach construction in the future.”

The 12-acre Springfield Campus is already home to the £45million School of Architecture and Built Environment, completed by ISG in 2020.

These facilities, combined with the NBI, will lay the foundation for the delivery of a National Centre for Sustainable Construction and Circular Economy, which will focus on sustainability and the climate change emergency.