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March 2016
The Knowledge Hub is our biggest and most exciting project yet. It includes land occupied by Birmingham City University, Birmingham Science Park, Innovation Birmingham, Aston University and Aston Engineering Academy, Millennium Point, Eastside Park, Birmingham Ormiston Academy, Birmingham Metropolitan College, HS2 College and land extending to Eastside Locks.
Working through its enterprise vehicle Co-Lab Consult (an extension of its curriculum live project modules) led by Head of School Professor Kevin Singh and Enterprise Co-ordinator Alessandro Columbano, we were commissioned to work alongside the School of Architecture and Design. Node have a strong relationship with the school with a number of staff being alumni of the landscape architecture and urban design courses, as well as working as visiting tutors. By practice and academia (including students) working together in a collaborative relationship, a number of new methodologies and techniques have emerged which can be re-deployed in future projects as a new paradigm.
We created a coherent campus masterplan for the Knowledge Hub which is a test bed for new ideas and is influenced by cross cutting themes including learning, innovation, health and well being, culture and enterprise. Seven projects have been identified as ‘key moves’ to help transform the area that involve new development proposals, new high quality public spaces and the opportunity to encourage social and economic exchange.
The creation of a Knowledge Hub shows ambition, collaboration and recognition of the great work undertaken in this part of the city. The masterplan aims to build on the work already proposed in the Big City Plan. We want to create a quarter Birmingham can be proud of.
The project was originally proposed by Professor Cliff Allan, Vice Chancellor of Birmingham City University who approached the University’s School of Architecture and Design to produce a masterplan for the Knowledge Hub, Birmingham. The project has attracted interest from Birmingham City Council, the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership and the Treasury. This has led to much media attention, and today (3rd March 2016) our plans for the Knowledge Hub have been revealed in the Birmingham Post that can be seen here.
We are incredibly proud of our collaborative work with Birmingham City University on this project and are looking forward to presenting it at MIPIM in two weeks’ time.
