Interior Design for New University Building for University College Birmingham
University College Birmingham needed an interior design and FF&E scheme, secured via competitive tender, for its new Moss House building which was a wide-ranging facility set to house a diner, student union, employability office, teaching and breakout spaces, staff facilities, and specialist sports teaching spaces. The challenge was to bring cohesion to such a varied brief, while designing a furniture package that would work in practice for staff and students across every part of the building.
The Challenge
Our Response
Working closely alongside project architects Howells (formally Glenn Howells Architects) we produced concept designs for a number of key spaces to test and inform the initial design proposals. A series of stakeholder consultation meetings, including with the student body, helped ensure the designs reflected how the building would actually be used day to day, while close liaison with the specialist catering supplier shaped the diner spaces. For the furniture package, we ran a 'beauty parade' process where we presented three versions of each furniture type for feedback and selection by the university's staff so that the final specification balanced practicality, durability, and everyday comfort.
The finished building brings together a diverse mix of spaces (teaching, social, employability, and sport) under one coherent design vision, giving students and staff facilities that feel considered and fit for modern university life. The project's success was recognised with the award: RIBA Regional Award 2021.
Photos by Rob Parrish Photography
The Outcome
