City of Glasgow College is pleased to announce that Glasgow Learning Quarter (GLQ) has been identified as the preferred bidder for its new £228million campus developments in the heart of Glasgow after completing a rigorous selection process.
For the first time, the College can now reveal images of how the innovative Reiach and Hall and Michael Laird Architects designed campuses will look in 3 years time – with dynamic graphics of the plans for the new buildings at Cathedral Street and at its Riverside campus at Thistle Street, designed to cater for around 40,000 students and 1,200 members of staff.
The identification of a preferred bidder is a major step forward in realising the College’s new campus vision and the College is delighted to have reached this important decision right on schedule.
This investment is publicly and privately financed with funding support from the Scottish Government via the Scottish Funding Council and from the City of Glasgow College’s financial reserves. The European Investment Bank has in principle approved up to £100 million of financing.
These twenty first century, state-of-the-art campuses have been meticulously designed to have student learning at their very core. They represent the single largest estates investment in the college sector in Scotland and will help transform the city centre landscape for generations to come.
College Principal, Paul Little, believes the plans reflect the College’s world class vision for the future and is keen to maintain momentum and work with all the other education partners in the City as a key partner in realising the region’s evolving educational strategy.
“Our pioneering new campuses reinforce the City of Glasgow College’s commitment to the great city of Glasgow and position us at the heart of skills development in Scotland. The plans and visuals released today reflect over 6 years of determined lobbying and patient planning by College staff, committed Board members and technical advisers.
“The two campuses will provide an amazing new learning environment for the students of today and tomorrow, future proofed for generations to come. These plans signify a major boost to the city and Scotland and ultimately will enhance our reputation as a top educational institution in the world. Shortly our nation will have world beating Colleges as well as world beating Universities.
“Situated in the very heart of the city, these impressive new buildings will inspire our learners and encourage them to unlock their potential right here in Glasgow.”
Douglas Baillie, Chair of the Board of City of Glasgow College, commented: “Selecting the preferred bidder is yet another major milestone in the continuing success of the City of Glasgow College. The announcement today is proof of what we can achieve as a beacon of excellence and it is with great excitement and energy that we look ahead to the next chapter in the life of this great College.
“Enhancing our diverse and talented student learning community with brand new, bespoke facilities underlines our passion for learning and desire to meet the needs of Glasgow’s and Scotland’s employers and the wider civic community.”
Delighted with this major investment to the educational infrastructure of the City, Cllr Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council, commented: “The new campuses will bring huge benefits across the city. The College and its existing 11 sites have served our great city for well over half a century, and this exciting new development will rival the best in the world for decades to come. Education is key to ensuring a brighter future for Glasgow and will help us to position the city as a global centre for learning.”
Mark Batho, Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council, said: “The Funding Council welcomes this next step in the progress towards City of Glasgow College’s new campus.
This is an enormously exciting project for Glasgow and for the college sector more widely and is the latest development in the Funding Council’s wider programme of supporting modern, well-designed and inspiring campuses for learners across Scotland.”
Julia Kennedy, associate director at SFT and who has been supporting Glasgow College through the procurement process, commented: “I am delighted that the project has reached this significant milestone and that construction work will soon start on Scotland’s largest NPD financed college.
“It is the release of funding through the NPD programme that is allowing the College to be built now, rather than wait years for traditional capital funding to become available.
“Construction is planned to start later this year and will act as an enormous boost to local SMEs working within the building sector and related supply chains thanks to the preferred bidder’s commitment to supporting local employment and training.”
Looking ahead, the next and final stage of the procurement phase will include seeking planning permission from Glasgow City Council and finalising the funding strategy. Once these tasks are complete, the contract will be awarded and construction will begin on site this summer.
The project will be funded through the Scottish Funding Council and supported by the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) using the new NPD (Non-Profit Distributing) procurement model which is a form of public private partnership.
When work is complete, more than 1,200 members of staff and 40,000 students from across the world will be welcomed to a new campus designed with them firmly in mind.
