Imagine how next generation learning will transform our economy

Project Insight

The future is full of uncertainty, and so the challenge faced by all is to equip people with the skills they need to thrive.

The West Midlands was once the manufacturing capital of the world, but mid-twentieth century failures in business strategy and investment have left a legacy of decline that Dudley College of Technology is successfully addressing. Dudley College has an inspiring strategy to support more young people and adults into work, to up-skill those in work and to provide the essential skills training for the most disadvantaged in society. The vision for an Institute of Technology embodies their philosophy.

Project Idea

The 4,750sqm Black Country & Marches Institute of Technology (BCMIoT), which welcomed its first cohort of students in September 2021, aims to transform the economy of the Black Country through an industry-led collaboration between employers and further education and was developed as part of the government’s £170 million drive to deliver a range of technology institutes across the UK, with £17.36m of funding secured for the institute through the Department for Education programme and a further £2m from the West Midlands Combined Authority.

The BCMIoT course programme focuses on non-traditional progression routes up to and including degree level programmes across medical engineering and healthcare, advanced engineering and manufacturing, and modern methods of construction, with more than 2000 learners set to be taught at the institute by 2025.

Project Design

The project is unique for its innovative design and construction process. Imagine a contract where the whole delivery team is selected through behavioural workshops before a line is drawn. Dudley College pioneered the Integrated Project Insurance (IPI) alliance model. IPI supports innovation by aligning the team around cost, time and quality, promoting a culture of mutual trust, no blame/no claim and the freedom for decisions to be made on a best for project basis. Our first sketches were guided by the intelligence of the whole team, avoiding waste and dead ends in the design process. The resulting building is lean with every space and constructional system optimised.

The building form was influenced by its function, buildability, site topography and acoustic considerations. In addition, the building takes a passive approach to deliver fresh air and optimal daylight. The ‘T’ shaped plan was devised to create two courtyards shielded from road traffic noise so that windows can be opened for ventilation while maintaining excellent acoustics. Teaching rooms are organised around a central atrium topped with a roof lantern that encourages good air movement and fills the space with daylight.

The design uses the sunken bed of the disused railway line to its benefit; the main entrance is at street level and on the middle floor with easy access to lower and upper level via the atrium staircases. A south facing café is located on the lower level with access to an outdoor terrace in one of the sheltered courtyards. The terrace looks onto a new embankment of wildflowers and native trees that add further sheltering to the courtyard from the adjacent new metro station.

The scheme was facilitated by IPInitiatives who assisted Dudley College to assemble an Alliance Partnership between Cullinan Studio, Speller Metcalfe, Derry Building Services, Fulcro, Cundall and GCA Consulting.

The IoT opened to students in September 2021.

Project Awards

• 2022 RIBAJ MacEwen Award - Commendation

• 2022 Constructing Excellence West Midlands Awards - Building Project of the Year - shortlisted

• 2022 Construction News Awards - Low Carbon Project of the Year - shortlisted

• 2022 Construction News Awards - Project of the Year (£20-£50M) - shortlisted

• 2021 Constructing Excellence West Midlands Awards - Integration and Collaborative Working Award

• 2021 West Midlands Structural Award

IPI Prospectus - read more about how the Alliance Partnership delivered outcomes that exceeded expectations on the Black Country and Marches IoT in terms of programme, cost and running costs; and how Environmental, Social and Governance were an integral part of that success.