Milestone reached on landmark development at Teesside University

01 July 2024

A major milestone has been celebrated in the construction of a state-of-the-art building, which is destined to play a key role in the future learning experience of students at Teesside University.

Staff, students and members of the Wates Construction team at the Digital Life building

A steel signing ceremony has been held to commemorate the installation of the final piece of steel in the £40million Digital Life building which is being constructed in the heart of Teesside University’s Middlesbrough campus.

A focal point for the University’s School of Computing, Engineering & Digital Technologies, the Digital Life building will be a catalyst for physical and digital collaboration through its learning and event spaces.

Due for completion in Spring 2025, Digital Life is the latest project being delivered as part of Teesside University’s transformative Campus Masterplan, which has seen over £300m invested to date as part of an ongoing drive to enhance the student and learning experience.

To commemorate this key point in its development, University students, along with teaching staff and personnel from the principal contractor, Wates Construction, were invited to sign their names on the final steel beam before it was lifted into place.

The Digital Life building will incorporate smart labs, digital art studios, a multi-functional lecture theatre and events space, and will provide an industry-quality digital studio experience for students, business and visitors.

Connectivity will be at its core, with the myriad of screens, cameras and lighting able to be controlled from anywhere within the building allowing content to be shared, streamed and broadcast through centrally controlled software.

The building will also utilise innovative technology to support the demand for flexible learning including holographic displays, enabling presenters worldwide to interact with Teesside University students, whilst a digital twin of the building will enable visitors to remotely attend events and activities through VR and XR experiences.

It will also feature classrooms and learning spaces equipped with leading-edge technology to enable students to succeed and thrive in the industries of tomorrow in fields including digital media, artificial intelligence, robotics and games design.

With the final steel now in place, you can get a true sense of how the Digital Life building will fit into the campus as a whole, and what an asset it will be for the University.

David Wingfield, Regional Director for Construction - Yorkshire & North East at Wates,

A large event space will host the delivery of key events within the academic calendar such as the world-leading festival of animation, games and VFX, Animex, and annual student showcase, Expotees, as well as supporting key University events.

Professor Chrisina Jayne, Dean of the School of Computing, Engineering & Digital Technologies, said: “It’s very exciting to see how the building is progressing and we are really looking forward to moving into it.

“The Digital Life building will provide a focal point for our school, allowing us to interact with people from across their world in a central space and enable us to expand and evolve our academic offer and continue to deliver world-class teaching and learning in the digital technologies here in Middlesbrough.”

Digital Life is the fourth project being delivered as part of the Campus Masterplan in partnership with Wates Construction.

Darren Vipond, Director of Campus Services at Teesside University, said: “It seems only moments ago that we were breaking ground on this project, so to be witnessing the final steel being put into place represents a real landmark occasion.

“We’re delighted to see construction progressing so well and it is testament to the way in which Teesside University moves at pace to deliver the very best for our student community.”

David Wingfield, Regional Director for Construction - Yorkshire & North East at Wates, said: “With the final steel now in place, you can get a true sense of how the Digital Life building will fit into the campus as a whole, and what an asset it will be for the University. “Working on campus for so many years now, we’ve seen the positive impact that each new facility makes, whether that be on the student body and faculty, or to the wider Teesside region through Social Value initiatives. We’re incredibly proud of not only the Digital Life project, but the overall partnership we’ve built with Teesside University, our delivery partners and supply chain.”

Campus Masterplan