Kier has been appointed by Manchester Metropolitan University (Manchester Met) to deliver its brand-new £35m School of Digital Arts (SODA): a project jointly funded by and Manchester Metropolitan University and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

The purpose-built 5,200m² school will comprise state-of-the-art teaching facilities over 5 floors. The building will bring creative, digital, technology and business assets together. The interdisciplinary school will house subjects that span film, animation, User experience design, photography, games, AI and more.

The new facility with be located on the site of the Students Union car park on Higher Chatham Street, Manchester and, once completed, it will have the capacity to teach 1,000 students per year. 

The project will start on site in winter 2019 and is due for completion in spring 2021. Throughout the build programme, Kier has committed to creating 10 apprenticeship opportunities and engaging with the City of Manchester workforce by hiring 100 local people and engaging with the local supply chain.

Peter Commins, managing director for Kier Regional Building North West, commented: “We are absolutely delighted to continue our relationship with Manchester Met the project is a key part of Manchester Metropolitan Universities Estates Masterplan. The SODA building will give students access to state-of-the-art facilities, enabling them to study an exciting range of subjects under one roof.”

This latest win for Kier reinforces its position as a leading provider of educational facilities and it has previously completed 6 Great Marlborough Street, a facility to house a number of professional services teams across Manchester Met.