Mon 12th December, 2011
Work on the University of Bedfordshire’s new £20m Postgraduate and Continuing Professional Development centre in Luton is gathering speed.
The foundations are being dug on the site at Vicarage Street and the project is on track to open in 2013.
The Centre will be a one-stop shop for postgraduate learning which aims to equip students with essential employability skills for the marketplace.
A contract for the iconic facility has been awarded to construction company Kier Marriott. It built the new £34m Campus Centre and £40m Fitzroy Court student accommodation which were officially opened in November by double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes.
Deputy Vice Chancellor (External Relations) Professor Ashraf Jawaid said: “Work is on schedule and we are looking forward to seeing this fantastic building take shape.
“We are also delighted that this project is contributing so richly to the knowledge and the history of Luton.”
An archaeological dig was carried out by Headland Archaeology (UK) in the summer on the site before work started. The dig excavated areas which contained various large pits believed to date back to the medieval period, which had mostly been used for leather tanning. In medieval times leather was used for various purposes including making shoes and clothing, saddling horses and for drinking vessels.
The dig also unearthed a number of new artefacts including; a copper alloy brooch pin and fragments of locally made pottery dating to the 12th and 13th centuries. Animal bones from sheep, cattle and pigs from the same period were also found.
This excavation is the third in a series at the Luton campus. Previous excavations on the site of the new Campus Centre, discovered a moat which would have enclosed a castle, and also the remaining foundation of a timber building.
To commemorate the earlier finds, a stainless steel line runs along part of the floor of the new Campus Centre, roughly indicating the course of a section of the castle moat, along with a wall plaque at the Reception entrance.
Latest news» 2011» December» University’s new postgraduate centre takes shape in Luton
