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Creating a campusfor thefuture

Edition 2

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Newcastle University’smission

To be aworld-class research-intensiveuniversity, to deliver teaching of thehighest quality and to play a leadingrole in the economic, social and culturaldevelopment of theNorth East of England.

01–02 Creating a campus for the future www.ncl.ac.uk/about

Vice-C

hancellor,

Profe

ssor ChrisBrink.


Newcastle University is in themidst of one of the most significantperiods of development in its 170-year history.

By 2010, a massive £200 million investment in ourestate will see the exciting and vibrant transformationof Newcastle University’s buildings, infrastructure andpublic spaces, creating a campus for the twenty-firstcentury. Superb new facilities will enhance NewcastleUniversity’s position as one of the leading teaching andresearch institutions in the UK.

The University has existed as a seat of learning inNewcastle upon Tyne for more than 170 years.Occupying a 50-acre site opposite the Civic Centreand close to the commercial and cultural heart of thecity, the University is one of the major landownerswithin Newcastle’s compact city centre.

Today’s University is a forward-looking, dynamiccommunity of more than 18,000 students and 4,500staff. Our international reputation for excellence in researchand teaching is underpinned by our mission to play aleading role in our city and region. The next two years willsee a manifestation of this mission through the extensivedevelopment of the Haymarket-facing perimeter of theUniversity’s main campus, extending from BarrasBridge along Percy Street to St Thomas’ Street.

Encouraging more community involvement in theUniversity’s activities is an important part of ourengagement agenda and the University invites thisthrough our commitment to Science City and culturaldevelopment. The completion of a new student andadministrative services building on Barras Bridge is setto create a welcoming ‘front door’ for the University.Bordered by the Culture Lab (the digital media centre),Northern Stage theatre and the Great North Museum,the building will also serve as a gateway to a diverserange of cultural attractions and facilities.

We are working in collaboration with a range of partnersto further extend the University’s influence and reinforceour links with the city and region. This includes NewcastleCity Council, the Regional Development Agency, OneNorthEast, INTO, The Newcastle upon Tyne HospitalsNHS Foundation Trust, the Centre for Life, NewcastleScience City, and the Campus for Ageing and Vitality,amongst others.

Building the knowledge economyThe University’s relationship with the city of Newcastleupon Tyne has been brought into focus more sharplythan ever by our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Chris Brink.His vision is to reinvent the notion of Newcastle as acivic university, driving forward the economic, socialand cultural development of the North East of England.

‘The old economy launched by the Industrial Revolutionis being superseded by the knowledge economy’, saysProfessor Brink. ‘We would like knowledge, in the NorthEast, to play the role that coal once did, and with that,we set ourselves a demanding but exciting ambition.’

In pursuit of this vision, the University’s Estate Strategyhas identified a number of priority areas for investment,which include improving the quality and fitness forpurpose of our buildings in support of the businessneeds of the University, improving our public spacesthrough landscaping and signage, and creating a moresustainable environment for the future.

Building on successSignificant investment in improving our campus andfacilities is not a new concept. Developing the estatehas always been regarded as an integral part of theUniversity’s commitment to providing a high-qualityenvironment for work, study, cultural activitiesand leisure.

The University has a strong track record of deliveringflagship developments such as the multiple-award-winning Devonshire and Paul O’Gorman Buildings andthe University Sports Centre, as well as an extensiveprogramme of building refurbishment. Work to openout the campus and improve disabled access has alsobeen completed recently, with the landscaping of theClaremont and Percy Quadrangles.

Building on solidfoundations


Creating a campus to serve the needs of the University forthe twenty-first century is a vast and complex task. NewcastleUniversity is embracing this challenge through themost ambitiousandwide-ranging programme of capital development in its history.

The development of the University’s main campusis dramatically transforming its interface with the city.At the junction of Claremont Road and the Great NorthRoad, work on the £26 million Great North Museum:Hancock is almost complete, with the new Museumdue to open in May 2009.

The construction of the new purpose-built studentand administrative services building on Barras Bridge,opposite the Civic Centre, is well under way, whilethe Music building was completed in Spring 2009.

At the same time, the development of INTO NewcastleUniversity, including new teaching facilities andaccommodation for international students, is goingahead on the site of the former Line West, Joseph Cowenand Old Forge Buildings, between St Thomas’ Streetand the Haymarket. INTO is a joint venture between theUniversity and Espalier, a private developer, designedto support growth in international student numbers.

Moving north from the centre of campus, the MedicalSciences New Building will house the Centre for BacterialCell Biology and the Institute of Health and Society. It islocated close to the Northern Institute for Cancer Researchand adjacent to the University Sports Centre. Nearby,work on a new £4.8 million accommodation blockat Castle Leazes Halls of Residence is also in progress.

In addition to these developments, the University isinvolved in a number of other major building projects.On the site of the former Scottish and Newcastle Brewery,Newcastle University Business School will be the firsttenant of the £200 million Downing Plaza, while at theNewcastle General Hospital site, to the west of the city,four new buildings have been completed to date at theCampus for Ageing and Vitality.

Developing our identity in the cityWhen it comes to attracting the highest-calibre studentsand staff, strengthening Newcastle University’s identityhas been highlighted as imperative in enabling us tobe competitive and maintain our position as one of theUK’s leading universities.

The Newcastle University Campus Masterplan,a blueprint for the development of our estate, wasproduced in 2002. The plan focuses on three mainprinciples: integrating the University with the city,improving the public realm, and rationalising thecampus, all of which are being implemented.

Improvements to the Haymarket-facing perimeterof the campus, and specifically the development ofthe student and administrative services building, arefocused on creating a welcoming and impressive frontdoor to the University. Extensive landscaping and theimprovement of pedestrian routes through the campuswill further strengthen the integration of the Universityand the city.

Building for the future:major developments



We are trying to reinventthe notion of a civicuniversity, and placeit centrally within theknowledge economy.Professor Chris Brink,Vice-Chancellor

‘’Aerial

photo of the city and Newcastle University campus, highlighting some of the areas under development (June 2008).



Work in

progress

on the stu

dent and adm

inistrative services

building (February 2009).

A computer-generated image of the student and administrati

ve services

building.


Student support andthe student experience

Student and AdministrativeServices BuildingTotal investment: £35 millionArchitect: Bond Bryan ArchitectsConstruction: April 2008 to October 2009Expected opening date: January 2010

The student and administrative services building,situated on Barras Bridge facing the Civic Centre, willbring together the University’s award-winning studentservices in one location to provide a more integratedservice for students and staff, with some of the beststudent facilities to be found in the UK.

Construction is well under way on this five-storey,glass-fronted building, which will house many ofthe main student and administrative services in open-plan accommodation, including the Careers Service,Accommodation Office, Student Wellbeing Serviceand Student Progress Service, the Marketing andCommunications Directorate and the Developmentand Alumni Relations Office.

The proximity of the new building to the Union Societywill give students access to all these services in a singlelocation, supporting the University’s strategic objective ofproviding an excellent all-round student experience. Arange of administrative functions, including the ExecutiveOffice, Human Resources, Finance and Safety Officeswill also be located here.

A visitor centre on the ground floor will provideinformation and serve as a first point of call for visitorsto the campus.

A number of environmentally friendly features hasbeen designed into the building, resulting in an overall10 per cent reduction in carbon emissions for a newbuilding of this type and size. It will further reduce itscarbon footprint by using highly efficient building fabric,glazing, heating, lighting and IT facilities, and a designthat renders air conditioning unnecessary.

An integral part of the development of the buildingis the landscaping of the adjacent King’s Walk, whichwill significantly improve the University’s aspect fromthe city centre.

King’s Walk is an important pedestrian route intothe University and plans for this area involve layingformal stone paving up to the existing flight of concretesteps, while the steps themselves will be replacedby a grand granite staircase and sloped access ramp.New lighting will be provided as well as a wide bridgedeck leading to the Union lawn. There are also plansto install a public work of art.

Creating a campus forthe future: the projects

The University’s programme of campus development reflects theaims of our mission statement in our commitment to providing thebest possible facilities and support services for our students, puttingin place an infrastructure that befits the quality of our world-classresearch and teaching, and promoting public engagement, both athome and abroad.


INTO Newcastle UniversityTotal investment: £50 millionArchitect: FaulknerBrownsStart date: November 2008

One of the core principles of the University’s strategyfor future development is our commitment tointernationalisation, founded upon the recognitionthat transforming the international student experiencewill increase the University’s competitiveness ininternational markets.

In February 2007, the University entered into a long-termagreement with INTO University Partnerships, leading tothe creation of INTO Newcastle University, a joint-ventureoffering unique new standards of academic preparationand English language courses for international students.

INTO has invested in the development of a purpose-builtinternational study centre, with state-of-the-art facilities,to provide a world-class student experience, allowingstudents to live and learn in the heart of the Universitycampus. The facilities will comprise substantial andflexible teaching spaces, residential accommodationwith approximately 540 bedrooms, and comfortablecommunal spaces where students can socialise.


Castle Leazes Accommodation BlockTotal investment: £4.8 millionArchitect: Howarth Litchfield PartnershipConstruction: June 2008 to late September 2009

A new student accommodation block at Castle LeazesHalls of Residence will provide an additional 98 study-bedrooms over seven floors. Two self-catered flats perfloor, with en suite facilities and shared living spaces,will house seven students each, as well as offeringthe potential to accommodate up to 14 students withdisabilities. The new block is being built in keepingwith the architectural design of the existing buildingsat Castle Leazes.

Work on Castle Leazes Accommodation Block (February 2009).


Downing Plaza.

Music BuildingTotal investment: £4.5 millionArchitect: Howarth Litchfield PartnershipCompleted: March 2009

The Music building will support the development ofNewcastle University as one of the leading researchand teaching centres for creative practice and theory,both in the UK and internationally.

Located behind the students’ Union Building, thesepurpose-built facilities provide new practice rooms,teaching space, IT suites and flexible recording andstudio space.

Newcastle University Business SchoolArchitect: Ian Simpson Architects

Newcastle University Business School is taking a22-year lease on 100,000 square feet of accommodationat the £200 million Downing Plaza. This state-of-the-artdevelopment, based in the city centre, will provideworld-class facilities for the Business School’s students.

The location of this development, in an emergingbusiness district and adjacent to hotels and studentresidences, is highly significant. The site immediatelybeyond Downing Plaza has been earmarked forNewcastle ‘Science Central’, the ambitious science,business and education project, in which the Universityis a major partner along with One NorthEast andNewcastle City Council. Downing Plaza’s landmarksteel- and glass-clad buildings, designed by Ian SimpsonArchitects, will form a stunning gateway to this site.

Teaching and research


Medical Sciences New BuildingTotal investment: £29.8 millionArchitect: FaulknerBrownsConstruction: March 2008 to December 2009

The University’s renowned Faculty of Medical Scienceshas committed to building a new hub for world-leadingresearch. Funding has been secured from the WellcomeTrust and the Wolfson Foundation towards theconstruction of two new buildings to house the Instituteof Health and Society and the Centre for Bacterial CellBiology. Construction is under way on the site of theformer Transport House and Old Brewery, adjacent tothe University Sports Centre.

This scheme will provide much-needed space for newresearch laboratories, as well as seminar and meetingrooms, and open-plan areas to bring research groupstogether under one roof. The facilities will be linkedby a ‘Forum’ that will provide excellent space for socialinteraction, nurturing the relationships that are crucialto the advancement of medical research.


Medical Sciences New Building.

Revealing the pastAn archaeological survey of the site for theMedical Sciences NewBuilding has provided afascinating glimpse into the area’s industrialheritage. Two trenches on the site have revealedevidence of a waterwheel pit andmillrace fromthe late eighteenth century, when the site wasoccupied by a snuffmill, built in 1781 anddesigned by the eminent civil engineer JohnSmeaton. Leazes House, which is being restoredas part of the development of the site, was builtat around the same time to house themillworkers. The survey also uncovered thefoundations of a brewery, established in 1837following the closure of Smeaton’s snuffmill.


Campus for Ageing and VitalityTotal investment: £26.6 millionArchitect: Dewjoc

The Campus for Ageing and Vitality, a substantialdevelopment in the grounds of Newcastle GeneralHospital, will provide Newcastle with a world-classresearch centre dedicated to the study of how wegrow old, how we can stay healthy and active aswe get older, and how we can combat age-relateddiseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Three new University buildings form part of a widermasterplan for the Newcastle General Hospital site,and will deliver commercial, health and researchdevelopments as part of Science City. The £7.5 millionEdwardson Building for the study of brain ageing wasopened in May 2008 by dementia research pioneer,Professor Jim Edwardson, in whose honour the buildingis named. The £5.1 million Clinical Ageing ResearchUnit (CARU) was completed in June 2008. Meanwhile,outline designs have been drawn up for a £14 millionTranslational Research Building.

The life-size skeletal cast of a T rex – a new exhibit at the Great North Museum: Hancock.

Culture and engagementGreat North Museum: HancockTotal investment: £26 millionArchitect: Terry Farrell and PartnersOpening date: May 2009

The University has taken the lead in the developmentof the Great North Museum: Hancock in partnershipwith Tyne and Wear Museums, Newcastle City Council,the Natural History Society of Northumbria and theSociety of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne.

This exciting project has involved the extension andtotal refurbishment of the Hancock Museum to createa flagship visitor attraction for the region, as well asa valuable research facility for scholars of naturalhistory, archaeology and classics.

The new museum brings together the Hancock’sinternationally important collections, owned by theNatural History Society of Northumbria, with the majorBronze Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon collections of theSociety of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, previouslyhoused in the University’s Museum of Antiquities, andthe Greek and Etruscan collection from the University’sShefton Museum. Ethnographical objects fromthe University’s Hatton (art) Gallery are also movinginto the new museum. The Hatton itself is part of theoverall Great North Museum but will remain in itsexisting location at the centre of the University campus.

The Great North Museum: Hancock boasts stunningnew galleries designed by Casson Mann, a library,purpose-built exhibition space for ‘blockbuster’ touringexhibitions, an education suite, shop and café.

The Great North Museum has been made possibleby generous funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund,TyneWear Partnership, One NorthEast, the EuropeanRegional Development Fund, Northern Rock Foundation,Garfield Weston Foundation, Clore Duffield Foundationand DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries ImprovementFund, as well as other charitable bodies and manyindividual donations.


We are proud of our University and of the city-centre locationthat puts us at the heart of city life, and an important aspectof our development programme is the work that is going intoimproving the external look and feel of the campus.

Creating a sustainableenvironment


This work is part of an overall plan to create a coherent,accessible campus with a consistent palette of materials,street furniture, and improved wayfinding and signage.

Over the next 12 months, we will also be makinga significant investment in landscaping our publicareas, to create a distinctive, welcoming and accessibleenvironment for our students, staff, visitors andlocal community.

Improving the quality of our public spaces andmaintaining a clean, tidy and safe environment foreveryone who uses the campus is not just aboutfinancial investment. We are committed to promotinghealthier and more sustainable lifestyles by encouragingpeople to respect our smoke-free policy, participate in ourUniversity-wide recycling schemes, adopt ‘green’ traveloptions and reduce our energy use, under the bannerof the ‘Our campus... your environment’ campaign.

A sensitive, year-round programme of planting byour grounds staff is designed to reduce the levelsof garden waste, and to use as many native plantsand locally sourced materials as possible, whilethe growth of grasses, shrubs and wild flowersto attract wildlife and enhance the natural habitatis also encouraged.


Newcastle is set to further develop its profile as a world-classUniversity with the establishment of its first international branchcampuses in Singapore and Malaysia.

In September 2008 Newcastle University opened itsfirst overseas campus, in Singapore. NUMI Singapore,a new Marine International campus with a traditionalNorth East industry at its core, further enhances theUniversity’s reputation as a world-leader in the fieldof marine technology.

Located within the established Ngee Ann Polytechnic,this development will enable the University to respondbetter to the huge global demand for marine technologygraduates by delivering high-quality programmes intwo locations on opposite sides of the world.

Historically, shipbuilding was one of the North East’smost important industries. Now it has been succeededby research and world-class expertise, with NewcastleUniversity leading the way in marine technology. SixtySingaporean students began studying at the newcampus in October 2008.

A second new campus, Newcastle University MedicineMalaysia (NUMed) will deliver and award degreesin medicine and biomedical sciences enabling studentsto study in Malaysia and obtain a Newcastle Universitymedical degree at approximately half the cost of doingso in the UK.

The NUMed campus, due to open in 2011, will belocated in the Iskandar Development Region of SouthJohor, strategically positioned within the growth triangleof Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

The new campus will create an exciting opportunityfor Newcastle University to contribute to meeting bothMalaysia’s skills-base needs and its national aspirationto become an international higher education hub inSouth East Asia.

The site in South Johor has already been cleared andwork has started on constructing roads to the campus.

Image top left: Newcastle University Marine International Singapore.

Image below: view towards Resource Centre, Newcastle UniversityMedicine Malaysia (NUMed).

BeyondNewcastle



Aerial view of the original redbrick part of the campus.

Hoardings outside the stu

dent and administrative services building.


Managing change and communication during this ambitiousprogramme of development is an essential part of the processfor the University.

Our campus is undergoing a dramatic transformation,and it is inevitable that there will be some disruptionduring this time. We recognise that we have aresponsibility to our staff, students and visitors, as wellas to the public, to do our utmost to restrict the levelsof inconvenience as we all go about our daily lives.

Minimising the effects of the work on our teaching andresearch activity to ensure the continuity of the University’sbusiness is a priority, as is safeguarding the health andwellbeing of students, staff, visitors and membersof the public who use the campus. The University isalso conscious of its impact on the people of Newcastleand the city environment during this period of majordevelopment and construction.

We are investing in signage and temporary displaysdesigned to help explain the work in progress andguide pedestrians and traffic around campus duringthe construction period. Hoardings around the mainareas of construction work are helping to promote theUniversity’s identity, create interest in the developmentsand ensure that the campus remains as safe andpleasant an environment as possible while the buildingwork is carried out.

Newcastle University is proud of its heritage andcommitted to creating a campus for the future withbuildings and facilities of the highest standard. Thisis a campus that will support our mission to deliverworld-class teaching and research, and position theUniversity, the city and the North East of Englandat the forefront of the growth of the twenty-firstcentury knowledge economy.

For up to date information about these projects,see www.ncl.ac.uk/about

Turning the visioninto reality

1

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Newcastle University ismaking every efforttominimise disruption to staff, students andvisitors during this period ofmajor developmentwork on campus, andwe apologise forany inconvenience.


2005

Newcastle UniversityNewcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RUUnited Kingdom

www.ncl.ac.uk

Produced by the Marketing and Communications Directorate.We would like to thank the following for the use of their illustrative material:Airfotos; Arkitek MAA Sendirian Berhad; Bond Bryan Architects; John Donoghue;FaulknerBrowns; Howarth Litchfield Partnership; Ian Simpson Architects; North News andPictures; Print Services, Robinson Library, Newcastle University; Tyne and Wear Museums.

Designed by The Roundhouse Design Consultants, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Printed by Potts.

© Newcastle University, 2009.

The University of Newcastle upon Tyne trading as Newcastle University.

Printed on 9lives 55 Silk.


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