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New Arts building puts city on the mapThe University of Plymouth’s impressive new £30 million (plus) arts and community building has reached a landmark stage which will be marked by a ‘topping out’* ceremony attended by the Lord Mayor Councillor Michael Fletcher next week. The building, on Rowe Street, is the first of a vibrant new 'cultural quarter' planned by the University of Plymouth and Plymouth City Council. It will house the university’s Faculty of Arts and cultural programme Peninsula Arts, the School of Architecture and extensive teaching facilities, as well as gallery space, café, cinema, studio space and offices for creative businesses – all open to the public. The University of Plymouth development, which has received a £2 million investment from the South West of England Regional Development Agency (RDA) and £5.2 million through the European Regional Development Fund, is on the north side of the new Drake Circus shopping centre. This prominent location at the heart of the city centre provides an ideal platform for the building, which will operate as a focal point for the University and city alike. Currently known on campus as ‘Rowe Street’ due to its geographical location, it will be officially named the Joshua Reynolds building – after one of Plymouth’s most celebrated artists Sir Joshua Reynolds – at an official opening ceremony next year. Sir Joshua, born the son of a clergyman in 1723, went to school in Plympton and was sent to London to study art in 1740. The University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Roland Levinsky said: “It is exciting to see the shape of the city’s skyline changing and the new arts and community building is a big part of this change. The vision for the new building is to establish a centre for arts and culture which will fuse both the University campus and the city by creating a hub for activity and learning. It will provide a showcase for the University campus, which will ‘open up’ to its surrounding environment, while providing new and valuable facilities for both students and the public.” Martin Berkien, the University’s Director of Learning Facilities, said: “This is just one of several building projects underway at the University’s city campus and illustrates our commitment to providing high quality facilities for staff and students, as well as the general public. The campus has been subject to some disruption while building work is ongoing but I can assure people that the superb campus we will have as a result will be worth it!” Leader of Plymouth City Council Tudor Evans said: “I am delighted with the University’s commitment to culture and learning in Plymouth. This is an awesome building which will really add to the architectural quality of our city centre, as well as provide a cultural hub for students and the public. It will also help boost the city’s profile and standing on the national cultural map.” The building is due to be completed by academic year commencing 2007, in time to house the University’s arts staff and students relocating from the Exeter campus. HBG Construction is responsible for completing the building on schedule. HBG project manager Graham Kingdon said: “We are delighted to have reached this landmark stage in the project, which is the result of a lot of hard work from everyone involved here. We look forward to continuing our successful working relationship with the University of Plymouth with the support of the staff, students and the local community.” Sue Brownlow, head of operations in Devon for the South West RDA, said: “The RDA is happy to be investing in a building which will contribute towards Plymouth’s physical renaissance and its cultural development as well as encouraging enterprise in the creative industries sector. The Arts building stands at an important gateway into Plymouth and is a key element in realising the Mackay Vision – it also sets a standard for the iconic architectural design to which the city aspires. Having facilities for fledging companies in the creative industries will encourage ‘spin-outs’ from the University and help entrepreneurs in the sector develop their businesses.” ENDS For further information please email: publicrelations@plymouth.ac.uk. * Topping out These days, a topping out ceremony marks the completion of the highest point of a new structure and provides an opportunity for the client, contractor and sub-contractors to celebrate this landmark in the construction process. However, the ceremony’s origins go back many centuries and have a place in the folklore of Scandinavia and Germany. In these countries it was a traditional ceremony that took place to ward off evil spirits from a new building. It is likely that invaders from these lands brought the tradition with them. Members of the media are invited to the ‘topping out’ ceremony between 12 noon and 2pm on Tuesday 24 October. Please contact the PR Office to arrange attendance. About the University of Plymouth The University of Plymouth is consistently ranked as one of the top five modern universities in the UK and is a national leader for teaching excellence. This achievement has helped it to secure an extra £33 million in funding over the next five years. It is one of only two universities to have been awarded seven prestigious National Teaching Fellowships and also demonstrates research of both national and international excellence. With around 30,000 students (including those who study at partner FE colleges within the University of Plymouth Colleges faculty) it is one of the largest universities in the UK – and proud to retain its reputation for friendliness. With a track record of 'widening participation', business partnerships and vocational courses, it has a high rate of graduate employment and is committed to improving the student experience, demonstrated by significant investment in new facilities. For further information go to: www.plymouth.ac.uk.
University of Plymouth Open Days
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