Groundbreaking start to Teesside’s DigitalCity

The University of Teesside starts work on two ultra modern buildings today (Monday 15 May) to make it a premier location for digital media and technology.

The University of Teesside starts work on two ultra modern buildings today (Monday 15 May) to make it a premier location for digital media and technology.

The new developments on Woodlands Road, Middlesbrough will give computing, media and design students the opportunity to study together in a first class learning environment and provide a nerve centre for Teesside's ambitious DigitalCity project, which aims to create up 300 new jobs and 130 companies within three years.

To mark the start of construction work, Vice-Chancellor Professor Graham Henderson, Margaret Fay, Chairman of Regional Development Agency One NorthEast and Councillor Dave Budd, Middlesbrough Council's Executive Member for Regeneration, will don hard hats and take up pneumatic drills to literally break the ground in the old Evening Gazette car park, the site of the four storey £12m Institute of Digital Innovation (IDI). Representatives from the builders and sub-contractors are attending. (See Notes)

The IDI will be home to the DigitalCity project team and the building's 4,250 square metres will include specialist digital sound studios and screening rooms. There will also be accommodation for digital technology companies, research and development commercialisation teams working with academic researchers and the DigitalCity Fellows.

The second new build is the £9m Centre for Creative Technologies, on the former YMCA site (corner of Woodlands Road and Southfield Road, Middlesbrough). This will provide 3,750 square metres of studio space for teaching and learning in digital design and bring Computing, Media and Design students under one roof.

Professor Henderson will say: "Today is the culmination of a great deal of hard work by many people over the last four years. Together these two buildings will make Teesside a premier location for both studying digital media and technology and for creating new digital businesses. They will put Teesside on the global map in the digital age."

Mrs Fay said: "One NorthEast is delighted to be a partner in the Institute of Digital Technology development and to be contributing nearly £6m towards the project. The University of Teesside has a growing reputation in the digital field and this exciting project will ensure that its academic excellence can be converted into business creation and growth and help the rejuvenation of the Tees Valley."

DigitalCity also has financial support from the European Regional Development Fund.

Councillor Budd said: "DigitalCity is one of the most exciting projects being developed in the region and we believe it will contribute to the transformation of the Tees Valley into a major centre for the emerging digital media and technology sectors. We look forward to working with the University on the project."

NOTE TO EDITORS

The main building contract has been awarded to HBG Construction.

The architects are CPMG Architects whose designs were selected after 42 firms expressed an interest in the work. The brief included incorporating environmental friendly features into the buildings, such as natural ventilation and maximising the use of natural daylight. The IDI has an adaptable design to allow great flexibility of use and the buildings have presence detection lighting controls, low flush systems in the toilets and green recycling refuse systems.

The structural, mechanical and electrical engineers are Sheffield-based ARUP, with AYH plc of Leeds appointed as the quantity surveyors.

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