Professor Debra Humphris, Vice-Chancellor, took part in a ground-breaking ceremony on the site of the university’s state-of-the-art Advanced Engineering Building.

The £14m building, at the university’s Moulsecoomb campus in Brighton, will extend the
university’s Advanced Engineering Centre, which works with a range of local engineering companies on innovative research in partnership with the automotive industry to allow for industrial knowledge-exchange.

​Construction of what will be one of the world’s leading engineering research centres is due for completion in the spring of next year. The project will establish specialist teaching facilities alongside cutting-edge research laboratories. With the university’s long-term partner Ricardo, the Shoreham-based global engineering, strategic and environmental consultancy and specialist manufacturer, a dedicated combustion engine research area will be established on the ground floor alongside modern engineering workshops to support undergraduate and postgraduate engineering.

Professor Debra Humphris, the university’s Vice-Chancellor, spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony: “This is a fantastic development between our partners Ricardo and the Government’s Local Enterprise Partnership funding.

“What this exemplifies is universities and industrial partners working not just to generate outstanding research and education opportunities, but to make a real impact on the economy.”

The university’s Interim Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research & Enterprise), Professor Andrew Lloyd, Dean of the University’s College of Life, Health and Physical Sciences, said: “The new Advanced Engineering Building will provide high-quality space for state-of-the-art equipment, provide flexibility for future expansion and create opportunities for new research and cross-transfer of knowledge, ideas and practices between the university, Ricardo and advanced engineering and manufacturing companies across the region.”

Attending the ceremony was Kelly Smith, a foundation year engineering student who is benefiting from working on the site whilst undertaking her course.

Dr John Taylor, Head of the School of Computing, Engineering & Mathematics, said: “The iconic Advanced Engineering Building represents both a recognition of our internationally excellent work in engineering and an exciting opportunity to further develop our research and knowledge exchange. We hope and believe these exciting, state-of-the-art facilities will act as a catalyst to further our existing collaborations and build new ones, thus enhancing the advanced engineering capability of the region.”

The Advanced Engineering Centre is part of the £150 million transformation of the Moulsecoomb campus the university is working in partnership with Gardiner & Theobald, Hassel Architectsand GRAHAM Construction’s London and South East team, the project’s main contractor.

Graham Lawrence, Project Manager at GRAHAM Construction, said: “The groundbreaking ceremony marks a key milestone bringing us one step closer to delivering new state-of-the-art teaching facilities for the University of Brighton.”

Image top right: Vice-Chancellor Professor Debra Humphris, Kelly Smith and Professor Andrew Lloyd.
Central image: Graham Lawrence, Project Manager at GRAHAM Construction and Professor Debra Humphris, the university’s Vice-Chancellor.
Bottom image: Graham Lawrence, Sue McHugh, John Taylor, Kelly Smith, Debra Humphris, Neville Jackson, Andrew Lloyd, Simon Boundy, Michael Garvin and Hugh Jones.

Brighton and Hove City Council’s Planning Committee has given unanimous approval for the construction of the University of Brighton’s new £14m Advanced Engineering Centre (AEC).
Work on the state-of-the-art building on the university’s Moulsecoomb campus, designed by award-winning architects HASSELL, is expected to start in October/November this year and it is scheduled for completion in December 2016.

Professor Andrew Lloyd, Dean of the university’s College of Life, Health and Physical Sciences, said: “We are delighted the city council has approved the project which will complement the ongoing investment to support the expansion of engineering at the University of Brighton.

“This will allow us to establish world-class specialist teaching facilities alongside state-of-the-art research laboratories with our long term partner Ricardo, the Shoreham-based global engineering, strategic and environmental consultancy and specialist manufacturer.”

Councillor Julie Cattell, chair of the planning committee, said: “This is an exciting, state-of the-art, new development which will deliver advances in research and technology in automotive engineering and bring benefits for the local economy, helping to create new jobs and a highly skilled workforce. In this respect the development is in line with our City Plan objectives.”

The Government’s Local Growth Fund is contributing £7m towards the cost of the AEC with a further £7m coming from the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the University of Brighton.

The AEC will support the further expansion and enhancement of the partnership between Ricardo and the university to advance the design and development of novel low-carbon internal combustion systems, with the wider objectives of advancing technological knowledge and supporting the advanced training needs of the next generation of engineers for the region.

Mike Clark, the university’s Director of Estate & Facilities Management, said: “I am delighted that the Planning Committee has unanimously approved our planning application and endorsed the university’s desire to seek a solution of the highest design quality.”

Professor Lloyd said: “A central facility is required which will further enhance joint working, allow the installation of state-of-the-art equipment, provide flexibility for future expansion and create opportunities for the cross transfer of knowledge, ideas and practices between Ricardo and the university and support the integration of teaching and research in engineering.
“The region has a high concentration of high-value advanced engineering companies which need to respond to rapid changes in technology and intensive international competition to maintain their global competitiveness.”

The Centre will generate around 30-35 additional research posts,15 additional academic/technical engineering posts to support teaching, and it will deliver an additional 60 trained engineering graduates per annum into the local employment market. The Centre will increase employment space by 2,680sq.m and provide facilities which will be used to support research and training for local engineering companies.

Other local engineering companies will have access to state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities and to specialist expertise. Training and support will also be readily accessible to local companies to increase skill levels in the existing workforce.