Building a gateway
to your future
Two new state-of-the-art buildings will equip students for a changing digital world
The Vision
BU's vision for the next six years is one of bold new development; being recognised worldwide as a leading university for inspiring learning, advancing knowledge and enriching society through the fusion of education, research and practice.
The new £52million gateway buildings are part of a strategy to develop practice skills areas and research space, with a focus on innovation and improving provision for teaching, learning and research across both of BU's Lansdowne and Talbot Campuses.
The buildings will also function as engagement hubs between students, staff, community, business and the wider public, providing high quality meeting spaces, break out spaces and 'an open' design, which invites collaboration, knowledge exchange and community partnerships.
Poole Gateway Building
Bournemouth University has an outstanding reputation as being one of the leading academic institutions in computer animation, TV and media production, and science and technology.
The Poole Gateway Building, currently being built on our Talbot Campus, will provide the high quality world class technical facilities needed to continue to innovate in this area.
Due to open in 2020, the four-storey building will include facilities for TV production, audio studios, sound editing labs, media production spaces, green screen with motion capture suite, PC and Mac laboratories and cross-faculty collaboration spaces.
These facilities will be predominantly used by the Faculty of Science & Technology and the Faculty of Media & Communication. They will also be used by the Faculty of Management and the wider student body.
Designed to form a new visual gateway to Talbot Campus and its parkland, the Poole Gateway Building forms part of a wider £100m programme to expand facilities at the university. The project also assists in the regeneration of the eastern end of the campus and provides additional space for teaching and research at Talbot Campus.
“Graduates from this university are in demand right around the world. With the help of the facilities that will be provided in this building I am confident they will continue to be so, and that they will be in a position to make an increasingly significant contribution to our economy. This building is not just a gateway to Poole – it’s a gateway to the world.”
Speaking at the Poole Gateway Building Topping Out Ceremony, which marked the completion of the highest point of construction, Vice-Chancellor Professor John Vinney said: “For me, it’s a very proud moment to be here because not only is this a gateway building to the Talbot site, it’s also a gateway to opportunities for our students and staff.
“It’s been a long time in the planning and this ceremony is a milestone achievement. This building will ensure that our site transforms once again and develops into a world-class campus.”
“These new facilities will support the University’s success in producing highly employable graduates and world leading research that is recognised across the world.”
Jim Andrews, BU Chief Operating Officer
Sustainability
As part of BU’s commitment around environmental sustainability, all major BU estate projects should achieve the ‘Excellent’ rating through the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM).
BREEAM is the benchmark standard for the construction of environmentally sustainable buildings in the UK.
Both of BU's Gateway Buildings will aim to achieve BREEAM sustainability rating ‘Excellent’ and BU is committed to achieving high levels of carbon reduction on all its new projects.
BU's newest estates development, Fusion Building, which opened in 2016, saw the use of ground source heat pumps lower carbon emissions, heating the building in winter and cooling it during summer. The building used a combination of solar panels, low energy heat and power systems, and triple-glazing to reduce energy demands to gain BREEAM Excellent.
The £30million Bournemouth Gateway Building will continue this commitment to sustainability, featuring photovoltaic cells, rainwater harvesting and ground source heat piles driven 110 metres down into the ground.
BU has an outstanding reputation as being one of the leading academic institutions in the field of computer animation, TV and media production, science and technology.
Bournemouth Gateway Building
Bournemouth Gateway Building on Lansdowne Campus, opening in 2020, will be the new home of BU's Faculty of Health and Social Sciences (HSS). It is one of several developments which are changing the face of the Lansdowne area of Bournemouth.
The Faculty offers over 90 courses, training midwives, paramedics, social workers and other health professionals to meet the growing staff shortage in the NHS.
The development also includes a number of open, landscaped areas which will improve pedestrian and cyclist access throughout the Lansdowne area. Access to public transport will be improved and BU is partnering with the council to invest in CCTV for the area.
The Bournemouth Gateway Building will provide teaching and research facilities for the Faculty, including seminar rooms, a lecture theatre, library, catering facilities, office accommodation and specialist skills facilities.
The 10,200m2 development will offer HSS staff and students purpose-built premises to meet their needs and help ensure their success. As such, the building represents a major investment by BU in the future of the UK healthcare sector.
The building will also have a range of state-of-the-art technologies designed to underpin research and support student learning, including an MRI scanner, ultrasound equipment, mock operating theatre and ambulance simulation suite.
"It is brilliant to see the building take shape, and we are looking forward to completion. It will become a hub of activity for education, research and practice as BU continues to invest in the future and a key part of our investment in health, social care and medical sciences."
