MANCHESTER Metropolitan University (MMU) has topped a list of UK universities for its new and innovative architecture.
This is a modern student factory - a hot house of creativity with a level of interaction between students of different discipline never before achieved
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has awarded Manchester Met more national awards in the last decade than any other higher education institution, according to analysis by the Architects Journal. It is followed in the top spot by Queen Mary University of London, Lancaster University and Southampton University.
Manchester Met’s three award-winning buildings were all designed by architects Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios following a £350 million estate investment by the University, which saw MMU scoop RIBA's Client of the Year Award 2014.
The three honoured buildings are the Business School (2013), the Manchester School of Art (2014) and the Students’ Union (2015). Each individual building has won a RIBA National Award, while the School of Art was shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize UK Best Building in 2014 - losing out narrowly to Liverpool's Everyman Theatre.
Manchester School of ArtPaul Kingsmore, Director of Services, said: “The University has made a considerable investment in developing its estate to ensure it is fit for purpose, enhances the student experience and supports the highest quality research and teaching. We are grateful for the recognition we have been given by RIBA for our high-quality buildings.”
In reference to the Manchester School of Art, RIBA judges stated: “[this] is a modern student factory - a hot house of creativity with a level of interaction between students of different discipline never before achieved. It feels as if you are entering a metropolitan art gallery rather than a university department."
The University will now turn its attention to plans for a new 25,000 sq m Faculty of Science and Engineering to be completed in 2020, replacing the existing John Dalton West building on the university's All Saints Campus.
